Sugar, Coin, and The Underworld
by chocofit
Summary: At the day, they are students and lecturers in a well-known small baking academy. At night, they rule the dark streets in order to protect where they belong.
1. Chapter 1

**[Author's Note] **Hello!

I'm not done with Salvation Sanctuary yet, in publication I mean, but here I try to publish another new story.

Basically this story is not too different with Salvation Sanctuary, the background is still a school, and the main characters are students. Some characters' traits might still be similar as well. But I try to bring something new in this story, which is the four points of view.

Although there are four, in chapter 1 and 2 there is still only one because as the opening chapters I want to use a girl's view. Well, I've been enough bored with boy's view in Salvation Sanctuary, yet even so the rest three points of view would be boys'.

Well, I'm going to stop here before I spill too much. This first chapter is only a beginning, and since the story is still under process, I plan to upload the next chapter not in the near time. Besides, I want to see whether readers expect this to be continued or not. LOL nope, just kidding. 80% serious though.

Now enjoy your sweet sugary time with Alicia!

* * *

**Wordplay © Jason Mraz**

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films**

* * *

The clock had just ticked at 8AM. Nearly half students of St. Infinity Baking Academy had appeared for their morning classes. Some of them greeted Bangun, the rector who had just entered the campus gate, and he greeted them back.

St. Infinity Baking Academy was a small baking college consisting of a few students in each year, which was located in a remote area in South Jakarta. The campus was built a little far from the downtown, yet it was still built in a big city to give access for its students to explore as many sweets as they could find. Being handled by experienced patissiers and patissieres, the campus had successfully produced many talents, including some of its lecturers. Even Bangun, the rector who was also the owner of the academy, was a certified professional patissier who owned some well-known patisseries.

Meanwhile, one of its students was sitting desperately on the floor in one of its kitchens.

"Sigh…why am I never sure?" she pitifully talked to herself. While on the table that she had just used, there had been three vanilla pound cakes. She yawned.

"Alicia!"

The kitchen door was opened right when another student appeared there. He sighed and walked in before he pulled up the girl to make her stand on her feet.

"Are you going to skip chocolate class or what?" he asked impatiently.

Alicia, that girl, rubbed her sleepy eyes. Instead of responding to the question, she looked at the table and took one of the cakes and a fork before she gave it to the boy.

"Try this one," she said. The boy sighed impatiently.

"Al, come on," he said, "How many times are you going to repeat this? If you want to give your cake to Chef Bejo, just-,"

"Just try this first, Uco!" Alicia begged.

Uco, the boy, exhaled heavy breath before he cut the cake with the fork and put it in his mouth. He chewed.

"It's good," he said as he chewed, "Well, still rough in some places, but-,"

"SEE?!" yelled Alicia desperately as it shocked Uco, "How can I give my pathetic cake to someone as skillful as Chef Bejo?! It takes me a thousand years of training, Brother!"

"Ugh, stop being drama queen, Idiot," Uco flicked Alicia's forehead as she ouched, "Your cake is not that freakin' bad. Now take off your apron and clean everything up, I don't want to come late and being snapped by Chef Andi."

Alicia pouted. She sighed before she took off her apron and cleaned the kitchen.

* * *

Alicia looked at the white board and took some important notes on her textbook with sleepy eyes. She was sitting on the nearly last row, so that her furious lecturer in advanced chocolate theory class, Andi, could not scare her much. She glanced at her left side, where Uco was sitting and fixing his eyeglasses as he wrote some notes on his textbook, before she sighed.

Her twin brother's comment about her vanilla pound cake ensured her that her baking ability was as terrible as she thought. She had studied making sweets since she was in elementary school and as she grew up she realized that baking cakes was her passion. But she started to doubt her ability since she first met Bejo.

Alicia's mind was blown into the ninth month, right one year ago when she and Uco had just finished their high school periods and started their study as future patissier and patissiere in St. Infinity Baking Academy. She was in basic flan baking class when she first saw Bejo, the lecturer in charge, and tasted his custard pudding that he made as an example during practice hour in the kitchen. She never tasted such a well-made pudding in her entire life, the one with balanced mix between the milk and the sugar that turn the pudding caresses her tongue perfectly.

"Hey, wake up," said Uco as he nudged his twin sister's left arm, woke her off her reverie.

"Sigh," she whined, "I'm tasting Chef Bejo's custard pudding, you know."

"What?!" Uco furrowed his eyebrow, "How come you're daydreaming about a real thing?"

"It's not about that!" protested Alicia, "I know it's real, but the first time I tasted it-,"

"Aw, come on," Uco chuckled impatiently, "Just visit Le Ciel and your problem is solv-,"

"Are you going to shut your mouth or to let me drag you two out of my class?"

Alicia was shocked, and Uco did either. All her drowsiness went away as she heard Andi's firm voice snapping at them because apparently they talked too loudly.

"I-I'm sorry-,"

"Once again I heard your crybaby voice, I won't hesitate to drag you out, Alicia, and you too, Uco," Andi pointed at Alicia and Uco alternately, "I'm not giving privileges even to Rector's successors."

* * *

"Tck, I never seen such a cocky lecturer all my life," Uco was still mumbling since advanced chocolate theory class ended, "He's acting like the owner of this campus."

"Stop it, Uco, we were indeed being noisy," said Alicia, "And it's not the first time you take his class, no?" she opened her locker to exchange textbook for the next class. Uco snorted before he opened his locker to exchange textbook as well. They both were standing before the locker row while some students sometimes glanced at them as they chuckled timidly.

Alicia was a beautiful nineteen year-old girl with fair skin and soft wavy hair, while Uco was an undoubtedly handsome one with the same fair skin yet his hair was straight, and he sometimes wore eyeglasses during class. These twins had stolen everyone's attention since their first year in St. Infinity, not only because of their good look but also because they were Bangun's daughter and son. As Andi said in the class, they were the rector's successors.

St. Infinity consisted of four majors, namely pastry department, sugarcraft department, bread department, and chocolate department. Although they took the same morning class, Alicia was actually a student in pastry department, while Uco was in bread department. Advanced chocolate theory was a required class for all majors, which Alicia and Uco were lucky enough to take in the beginning of their second year because the class was usually crowded.

"Hey, Al, Co, how's your class?"

Another student who was not less handsome than Uco, but with darker skin color and lower height, suddenly appeared and greeted them casually. Alicia closed the locker door and smiled enthusiastically at him.

"Eka!" she walked towards the boy, whose name was Eka, to give him a light hug, "I haven't seen you at home lately, I miss your fruit pancake, you know!" she punched Eka's arm lightly and laughed.

"What, so you miss my fruit pancake only?" Eka pouted before he chuckled.

"Sixty percent for your fruit pancake," Alicia giggled cutely that makes Eka could not stand not to caress her hair, "How are you? Where did you stay overnight?" she asked.

"I was in Chef Goto's house, like spending some nights with Ryu and Kei," replied Eka, "It's closer to Fruitful and Delight, so I can save more time for both training and studying."

Eka was a third year student in sugarcraft department of St. Infinity. He was an orphan who was sort of adopted by Bangun, and he functioned like a caretaker for Alicia and Uco since they were all in middle school. He spent his last college year by studying in campus and being professionally trained as novice patissier in one of Bangun's patisseries, namely Fruitful and Delight, a store which was focused on selling fruit desserts.

Yet instead of a caretaker, Alicia deemed him more as her another brother.

"Oh, so you spent nights with Ryu? Tell me how it was," she nudged Eka's arm many times as she teased him. Eka chuckled timidly while Uco did not look too pleased since he showed grumpy face after banging his locker door and left. Alicia was surprised while Eka only shrugged.

"His mood seems terrible today, sorry Ka, I have to go," said Alicia.

"Today?" teased Eka, "When is it not terrible?" he chuckled. Alicia could not stand not to giggle, but she ended up waving at Eka before she walked away to chase after Uco. She had no choice but to laugh at Eka's words since Uco was indeed a short-tempered person.

"Hey," she said as she aligned her steps with her brother's, "What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," Uco snorted as he was slowing his walk to match his sister's. Alicia breathed out.

"If it burdens you, why don't you just confess to him?" she asked and shocked Uco.

"Wh-what?" asked Uco as his cheeks started to blush without he could control, "What the hell are you talking abou-,"

"Aw, come on," said Alicia, "Are you trying to hide from your own twin sister that you've been in love with Eka since high school?"

* * *

Alicia entered a kitchen on the second floor of pastry department building for advanced pie baking practice class. Her heart kept thumping since she stepped in because the lecturer in charge was Bejo and she knew he would bake a pie for a sample. White chef trainee coat and pants, black waist apron, and a red neckerchief, had replaced floral sackdress that she wore for morning class, and her long hair had been tied into twin tails. She walked to one of the tables as she nervously squeezed her white chef hat.

"Alicia!"

A girl with a small bun on her hair suddenly came and hugged Alicia's shoulder.

"Phew, Dwi, you shocked me," Alicia exhaled relief breath before she pinched her friend's left cheek. That girl, whose name was Dwi, giggled mischievously without noticing that some boys were glancing at her since she looked stunning when she laughed.

"You're just too nervous, you know," she said, "Chill, Chef Bejo would worry when he sees one of his students shivering like in a haunted house," she laughed. Alicia could not stand to hold her laughter. Two laughing beautiful students stole all the attentions right away.

Dwi was a second-year student of pastry department, who came from the same high school with Alicia as she was also her best friend since high school. She was another beautiful student in St. Infinity who had fair skin, medium straight hair, and a small frame which makes people hard to believe that she had sweet tooth.

"What makes you nervous now? Did something happen?" asked Dwi.

"Well, I…baked some pound cakes for Chef Bejo," replied Alicia as she rolled her eyes.

"That's good," said Dwi, "Have you given them?"

Alicia shook, "I can't," she whined, "I'm not sure. Even Uco said it was still rough."

"Ugh, I can't believe you," said Dwi impatiently, "I've tasted your cakes since we first became friends and there was nothing wrong. It's normal for pound cakes to be a little rough, it's not a sponge cake, just give it to him!"

Alicia shrugged. She knew Dwi was right, but she was never confident enough to believe that she could bake a proper cake to be gifted to Bejo. She put on the hat right before Bejo stepped into the kitchen and made her heart pounding again. He was wearing gray chef jacket, black pants, and black beanie, which was the lecturer uniform for Monday practice class.

Bejo was a junior lecturer in St. Infinity, but he had also been a certified patissier who owned his own patisserie named Le Ciel, which was focused in selling tarts, flans, and original chocolates. He ran the shop together with Andi as his partner and chocolatier, yet he spent more time in the campus since he had just been assigned as coordinator lecturer for pastry subjects in St. Infinity. He was a charismatic well-respected lecturer.

"Today we're going to bake peach pie," said Bejo, "Not the one with canned peach, but the real peach instead. It's easy, you can do it in a blink…," he said, and the students murmured, "After you passed some intensive practices, I mean," he joked.

The class laughed, including Alicia and Dwi. One of some reasons why Alicia admired and grew feelings on Bejo was that he always encouraged everyone by saying that baking is easy. The other reason was his high level ability in baking puddings.

"Chef, can we get your peach pie in Le Ciel? Just in case we can't get enough of it," asked Keiichi, another student who stood across Alicia and Dwi's table. The other students chuckled.

"That's a good question because the answer is no, we don't sell pies," replied Bejo lightly, "But that can be a good idea, Keiichi, you're going to grow my business. Too bad, you're not legally allowed to own the shares yet. Still too young," he set a serious face before he chuckled.

The class laughed again, but in the middle of such joy, Alicia's phone was buzzing. She pulled it from her pants pocket to receive a text from Eka, which was sent for both her and Uco at the same time.

'_al, uco, pls gather after class. new man attacked our ppl._'

* * *

Alicia and Uco both walked quickly to chocolate department building after they finished class. Uco chuckled when he glanced at his sister, who was still busy chewing, on his right side.

"Now what?" he asked, "Let me guess…peach pie?"

"Mm," replied Alicia within her chewing activity. Her mouth was full and there was still a bitten slice of peach pie in her hand, which was a leftover of her peach pie that she has not finished eating.

"You look totally dumb," teased Uco as he snatched Alicia's pie from her hand and put it all in his mouth. He chewed as he pressed 'down' button between two elevators on the first floor of chocolate department building. The elevator door was opened in a second, apparently nobody used it.

"Good," said Uco as they both walked in and he pressed 2-1-3-1-5 in a row, "High savour as expected from Rector's daughter, but your pie is still too soft, it breaks easily when I snatched it," he stroke Alicia's head. Alicia pouted as the elevator moved down and deeper.

"Is that how you speak to someone whose pie you stole?" she mumbled. Uco laughed.

"Ryuuichi is good in pie stuff, he can teach you," he said before he suddenly turned annoyed, "Tck that bastard."

Alicia giggled when she saw the sudden change in her brother's face. Before she ever teased him, the elevator stopped moving and the door was opened. They walked out and headed to dual big iron door right across the elevator. Uco walked to a touch screen panel next to the door and tapped the same numbers that he pressed in the elevator. The door was opened and they both walked in.

Behind the door there was a big room which was decorated simply using the best furniture made in the country combined with shades of Japan on its walls, like some paintings and hangings. There was Bangun sitting relaxed on one of some couches, yet his eyes looked a little tense.

On the other couches there were Eka and two other men. One of them was Goto, a Japanese senior lecturer who served as head of bread department and worked as patissier for some hotels in Jakarta as well as he was being a patissier in charge for some of Bangun's patisseries. Next to him there was Ryuuichi, his son, a third-year student of bread department.

"What's that around your mouth, Al?" Bangun pointed at his daughter's face. Alicia was startled before she giggled.

"Eheheh…some peach pie leftover, I guess," she blushed as she wiped her corner mouth.

"Peach pie? Bejo's class, I bet," said Goto, "How was his own peach pie?" he asked.

"It was heavenly!" replied Alicia impulsively and enthusiastically, "Each piece of the pie was soft but I don't know why it didn't break easily, and…and we all used the real peaches, not canned, but the one on his pie was like made in heaven because it's sour and sweet at the same time in a perfect way!"

Everyone in the room could not hold not to chuckle after listening to Alicia's answer as they watched her talking. Alicia spoke very enthusiastically happy as if she was a little girl who just got a doll that she always craved for. Besides, her hair was still tied in twin tails, so that it increased the cuteness on her face when she spoke energetically.

"So I made a right decision by assigning Bejo as coordinator for pastry subjects, right, Bangun?" asked Goto. Bangun shrugged.

"So far, yes," he replied, "But we're not gathering here to talk about class. Please be seated, Kids," said Bangun to Alicia and Uco and they both took a seat in an empty couch. Everyone looked at each other without talking until Bangun broke the ice.

"I'm not fond about this," he said, "I can't even remember the last time our people being defeated, until suddenly this new kid hospitalized them."

"Kid?" Uco was surprised, "What do you mean, a kid attacked them brutally? By what? Voodoo and curses?" he asked.

"Lower your head, Uco," replied Bangun, "We may think that we've trained everyone until their best, but it turned out that their best was nothing compared to some people," he said firmly.

"Dad, we take control of this city and you ask me to lower my head? So that anyone else can look down to us the way that 'kid' brought our people down?" asked Uco impatiently.

"Sssh," Alicia pinched Uco's arm to calm him. She sighed as she had been too lazy calculating how many times her brother and father got carried on useless quarrels because they both were totally alike in being stubborn and bossy.

"Menteng area is no more secure," said Goto, "We need people with better ability to take care of it, Kids-,"

"Nooo," Alicia whimpered as she leaned against the couch, "I don't want to do that anymore, I'm just an ordinary girl-,"

"Alicia, we need you," said Bangun as he stared straight at her eyes, undoubtedly showed how desperately he needs her. Alicia sighed again.

This was not the world she wanted to live in. Not anymore.

* * *

The clock had just ticked at 7PM. Alicia tied her long hair into a ponytail as she stood and stared at the mirror in her bedroom at the family's house in Tebet area. She had already wearing a white sackdress covered with black leather jacket, while black leather boots covered half of her fair legs. She glanced at two claw hammers on her dressers before she stared at the mirror again.

She remembered how she entered St. Infinity with a big hope of a new life of being a totally ordinary girl who would have fun with her girls, to study baking in order to be a patissiere or even a wife, and to get a boyfriend that she rarely get in her previous life. When she finally reached her second year peacefully, even she had found someone to admire, she was suddenly pulled back to another side of her life.

It was the underworld.


	2. Chapter 2

**[Author's Note] **Finally! Second chapter!

As promised in author's note on Salvation Sanctuary, I finally upload this chapter on the first day of the new month. Well, I'm already late here, it becomes the second day then :s

I was very happy when I could finally wrote about the twins' duet in fighting. Although it was far different from the movie, I love pairing them as twins. I mean, the actor and actress are both mixed-blood, that's why I think it's relevant.

Now that it's updated, why don't you take your time to read? Your reviews are always awaited!

* * *

**My Songs Know What You Did in The Dark © Fall Out Boy**

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films  
**

* * *

"Al, come on," said Uco as he knocked Alicia's bedroom door.

Alicia was startled and she took a deep breath. She had no choice. Her father had begged her without she can ever interrupt, not to mention that she did not have enough heart to do it. She knew this had always been a role that she could not escape from.

This was her risk and responsibility of being Bangun's daughter.

The door was knocked again as if telling her that she must do the job. She took the hammers and put them on her handbag before she opened the door and found her brother there. The door was closed as she looked at Uco from head to toe.

Uco looked extremely handsome, even more than his appearance in the campus. He was wearing gray tee covered with a black leather jacket that resembles Alicia's, while black jeans and sneakers covered his long legs. And unlike his daily appearance, his hair was neatly styled.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Do you need an answer?" Alicia returned.

Uco shrugged before they both walked off the house and left with a red BMW. It was a quarter past eight when Alicia and Uco got off the car and walked on an empty street in Menteng area. Uco picked up his buzzing phone to receive a call from Eka, while Alicia's eyes wandered around the street. She did not find anything fishy, yet it scares her instead.

Someone had knocked down her father's men, whom she knew exactly were great in martial arts, and that person seems to be young since both Bangun and Goto mentioned him (or maybe her) as a 'kid'. Her heart started to pounding as she wondered how young that someone could be, and even if he (or she) was young enough, how come this person knocked down Bangun's men easily.

"Watch out, Al," said Uco after he ended the call as he looked enthusiastic, "Five people were already knocked down again."

"Again? At this hour?" asked Alicia before she sighed, "How's Eka? He's okay?"

"He and Ryuuichi had just arrived when they found five fainted bodies," replied Uco.

Alicia glanced at Uco, "Looks like you're fond about this," she said. Uco chuckled.

"I wonder why you're not," he teased, "All those heavy trainings, cruel exercises, that we've received since the first time we could say that Dad's cake is better than others, don't tell me that you're not hungry of using them."

"Honestly I'm not," whined Alicia, "I thought I already left this kind of life once I entered St. Infinity because being an ordinary girl who lives an ordinary life is my goal."

"You can't!" Uco chuckled, "I can't. And neither can Ryu, Kei, or even Eka because we are their kids. We were born and raised for this purpose, Al, so stop pretending you don't realize about this. Stop being naïve and just keep your naïve goal off your mind," he said firmly.

Alicia did not respond nor even talked anymore. She just kept walking next to Uco as her eyes were wandering around. Her brother was right. Living an ordinary life was nonsense for her because she was Alicia. Because she was the daughter of Bangun, head of the biggest gangster who ruled Jakarta in the underworld with a big favor from Goto's family

As her eyes still wandered around, her mind was blown into her childhood, when she and Uco were only elementary school students who love Bangun's sweets a lot until someday their father stopped giving them his sweets.

* * *

_"I'm done!" said Uco before he put down his spoon and fork._

_ "Me, too!" followed Alicia cheerfully. _

_These eight year-old twins had just finished their dinner that they had together with their father in their house's dining room, but without their deceased mother who passed away when giving them birth. Their father was a busy patissier who owned two growing patisseries as he also worked as a teacher in some baking academies and courses, so that they rarely had dinner together._

_ "Good," a satisfied smile appeared on Bangun's face, "No leftovers?" he asked._

_ Alicia and Uco both shook. They always tried hard to eat all their meals, even though there were some vegetables they disliked, because Bangun promised them to always give them his dessert if they eat all their meals._

_ "Okay," said Bangun, "Thank you, Kids. Let's do this again next time," he smiled and pat their heads before he stood off his chair and left. Alicia and Uco were both startled._

_ "Wa-wait, Dad!" said Alicia as she stood off her chair. Bangun turned his head._

_ "What?" he asked._

_ "You promised us your dessert," replied Uco without standing off his chair, apparently he had been bossy since he did not even know what a 'boss' means yet, "And we've eaten all our meals," he stared straight at his father's eyes. _

_Alicia nodded to support him. She was extremely happy to finally have dinner with her father again, but she still was not satisfied without his promised dessert._

_ "I did?" asked Bangun as he furrowed his eyebrow._

_ "Yes, Dad!" replied Alicia and Uco jointly. _

_Bangun rolled his eyes before he knelt down in front of Alicia. He moved his fingers to summon Uco, and his son joined._

_ "Kids," he said, "Currently my shops are lacking of ingredients so that I can't always give you my sweets. I have a big job together with Uncle Goto, you both remember him, right?" he asked._

_ "Yes!" replied Alicia enthusiastically, "I love his red bean mochi!" she said._

_ "I prefer his anpan," said Uco, "I want to bake such smooth bread."_

_ "You Kids really have sweet tooth, huh?" Bangun chuckled as he pat his children's heads again, "Now I need your favor. If you two can help me, I'll provide you with sweets again, and not only mine but also Uncle Goto's," he said. _

_Alicia and Uco winced and looked at each other._

_ "What favor?" asked Uco._

_ "I want you two to practice karate and pencak silat alternately each day after school," replied Bangun, "And not just to practice, I want you two to master them. Can you?" he asked. _

_ Alicia and Uco were both honestly confused, but back then they were only kids who crave for their father's sweets, so that they both nodded. They agreed to make the deal without knowing what it was for, except to get Bangun's sweets again._

* * *

The sound of a slowly dragged iron rod from a distance woke Alicia up to the present. She and Uco stopped walking and looked at each other before her left hand grabbed two hammers inside a handbag that she hung on her right shoulder.

"No," whispered Uco as he held Alicia's left shoulder, "Go away, I'll handle this."

"What?!" Alicia whispered back, "Then what am I here for?"

"You can carry me or that kid to the hospital, or maybe our corpses," Uco chuckled.

Alicia slapped his head. No matter how many fights she had been involved in, she still could not imagine her family members being killed, not to mention that she never even expected it to happen no matter how possible it was. After knowing why Bangun asked her and Uco to master martial arts, she practiced even harder but not to get Bangun's sweets anymore.

She did it to protect her family instead.

And before they talked even more, someone appeared across them as the sound of the dragged iron rod got louder. The more he approached, the better Alicia recognized that it was a man, apparently as tall as her. Instead of an iron rod, he dragged an iron baseball bat. The big hood on his dark gray jacket covered half of his face, so that Alicia and Uco could not see his look, especially because there were only a few lamps on that street. It was too dark until only shadows crossed his face.

"So, you're the kid," said Uco as he squinted, "The baseball bat kid."

The man gripped on his baseball bat tighter before he ran towards them. Alicia quickly grabbed her dual hammers with both her hands and threw her handbag away, while Uco pulled his Barrel F3 shotgun from behind his back. The man tried to hit them with his baseball bat that he held with two hands, yet they both still successfully dodged. But when they tried to hit him back, he always succeed sustained their punches with his baseball bat and fast kicks.

After they kept hitting and dodging from each other, they stopped as they both stood across each other. Alicia looked at Uco's eyes as he looked back and they both nodded after they somehow silently talked to each other, like telepathy, about the man that they fought with. They both agreed that the man was not an ordinary person, according to his skill.

The man ran towards Alicia and wielded his bat to punch her head, but she held it with hammer in her right hand. She wielded back her left hammer to that man's stomach, but her hand was already caught with that man's free right hand. He pulled down his bat to punch Alicia's stomach harshly and he nailed it. She was staggered, but still trying to stay awake. That man moved towards her and even though his face was still covered with shadow, their eyes were locked.

"Hey!" yelled Uco from a distance before he pointed his shotgun to that man's head, "Stay away from her or I'll blow your brain away. Now," he ordered.

That man turned his head to Uco, and in a second someone else came and punched the back of Uco's head with single blow. Uco fell down with his shotgun next to him, lucky that he had not cocked it yet so that it did not blow any bullets away.

"Wha-,"

Before Alicia ever questioned why suddenly there was another person appeared, her stomach was punched three times with the baseball bat. Like her brother, she fell down unconscious.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Dad," said Alicia as she held an ice bag and put in on her stomach to decrease the pain, "He was skillful, that 'kid'."

After being picked by Eka and Ryuuichi who found their fainted bodies on the street, they were brought back to the house. Bangun already waited there, he was sitting on a couch in the family room. Eka did not wait to report to Bangun, both he and Ryuuichi headed back to Goto's house right away to continue their training in Fruitful and Delight.

They gathered in the family room. Alicia and Uco were hopelessly leaning on a big couch across their father's.

"There were two, Dad," said Uco before he moaned softly as he pressed ice bag to the hurtful back of his head, "How come you said there was only a kid?" he protested.

"You think I lied to you?" returned Bangun, "The report that I received was about a man, not two. And if it turned out there were two, it was beyond my knowledge," he said. He still acted cool, but his eyes could not hide his concern towards his twins.

Alicia sighed. She was indeed surprised that there was another man appeared, furthermore he was extremely strong because he could knock Uco down only with a single punch. She could not recognize his face because it was covered by shadow like the baseball bat kid's.

Apparently she really must forget her plan to live a peaceful ordinary life.

* * *

Meanwhile in another side of Jakarta, a small but simply well-decorated patisserie named Le Ciel had just been closed right at 9:30 PM. The last customer purchased its famous mint truffle and white praline. After all the lights were shut down, deep down under the building, the lights were turned on.

Bejo was sitting relaxed on his couch as he glanced at Andi who had just joined him in that underground chamber.

"How's your chocolate business?" asked Bejo before he took his cup of assam tea, an Indian tea, and sipped it. Andi sat on a couch across Bejo and chuckled.

"What's with that 'your chocolate business'? This shop is yours!" he said.

"Shut up," Bejo chuckled, "Nearly half of the shares is yours, even the most wanted product here is your truffle!" he laughed.

Andi laughed as he took off his chef hat and threw it at Bejo's arm.

"I bet 500 US Dollars that your framboise pannacotta was sold for higher number than my mint truffle, Asshole!" he chuckled as he pointed at Bejo's face before he took a cup of assam that Bejo made for him when he was still in the shop.

While they were laughing and joking about numbers of sold products, a trapdoor, which was connected to the backyard of the shop, was opened before two boys came downstairs in. They looked tense and concern.

"What's up?" asked Bejo, "Did you fail?"

"No," replied the one who brought an iron baseball bat as he took off his hood, "It's just…it's different now," he sighed.

"And what does it mean?" asked Andi after he put back his cup to the table.

"Bangun sent the twins," replied the baseball bat boy without taking a breath.

Bejo and Andi were both startled. They did not expect that things would already go this far in the beginning. They first thought that Bangun's twins would not appear this soon.

"This is bad," said Bejo as he rolled his eyes to left and right side.

Andi did not respond, and so did the two boys who were standing near them. They were all drowning in their own minds, thinking of how to solve this fresh issue, especially Bejo because he was the leader but not only a leader.

He was the leader of a developing gangster who tried to take control of Jakarta over Bangun's gangster. He had been working on this project since both he and Andi worked in St. Infinity in order to watch Bangun's movements, but they got nothing except a rumor about his strong twins who always won battle with anyone who tried to rule the city without Bangun's permission, yet they rarely appeared unless the opponents were too strong for Bangun's men.

But when he felt relaxed so that he only sent his two right hands, the twins already appeared. Apparently Bangun had been alerted that one of his right hands who used baseball bat had successfully hospitalized his skillful men, so that he had no choice but sending his twins.

"Wait, I heard they're extremely strong," Bejo winced, "But you knocked them down?"

"I won't make it without him," the baseball bat boy pointed at another boy who stood beside him, "He beat the male down with a single punch."

"Good job," Andi chuckled, "That kid is damn snob like his father."

"Yeah, but you said his baguette tasted like real French's last semester," mocked the other boy.

Andi shrugged before he sipped his assam again.

"I have a new job for you two," said Bejo impulsively, "Approach them at the campus somehow. Find a way. Any ways are allowed."

* * *

Basic caramel crafting class in sugarcraft department building had just finished but Very was still in the kitchen with his chef trainee uniform on, heating the sugar. He was not satisfied with his work in the class even though Isa, junior lecturer who was also a coordinator of sugarcraft subjects, praised him.

"Whoa!" he backed off after he poured a teaspoon of water into the heated sugar in the pot because the sugar spurted. In some minutes, the heated sugar turned into caramel which was ready to be crafted. He took some caramels and widened it into one long rope. He sighed.

Last night he was ordered by Bejo to approach Alicia or Uco, but he had no idea of what to do. He was only a first year student in sugarcraft department, while both Alicia and Uco were second year students in different departments, so that there were no classes that he can take with them in and it made him more difficult even to just greet those twins. The only chance he had was last night battle, when he faced them both alone.

Very smiled as he crafted a flower petal from the caramel, his mind was blown into last night.

All this time he was only an orphan who was taken care by Bejo when he was still a middle school student, and as a payment he must help Bejo both in baking and fighting. During his baking practice, he realized he loves making decorations and crafts, so that when he passed St. Infinity entrance test, he picked sugarcraft department as his study option.

But last night was a little different. He met two equally skillful opponents that he never met before. The rumor that Bejo conveyed about the strong twins seemed right, and he realized he was only lucky that he could beat them down because they were in unstable emotion last night. Uco was panic because he punched Alicia's stomach with his baseball bat, yet Alicia turned panic when Uco was punched until he fainted. He was impressed with their strong twinhood.

"Oh, I—I'm… sorry, I don't know somebody's still here."

Very turned his head to the opened kitchen door when he heard a girl's voice came along. He was frozen as he saw who it was.

"I just want to practice," said that girl, "I won't interrupt you, please continue," she smiled before she put her books on a table next to his.

Very turned his head back but he did not continue crafting the flower petals. He did not want to believe his eyes, but he would never forget that girl's eyes when they were locked with his last night. She looked totally different from the girl that he met last night, because her hair was tied into twin tails and she was wearing chef trainee uniform.

She was Alicia.

"Oh, you're crafting," she glanced at Very's hands, "Caramel flower petals? You're skillful!" she smiled enthusiastically.

Very tried to continue crafting, but he only ended up making terrible flower petals. He was between shocked of Alicia's presence, which he never expected, and amazed of her cheerful smile that she did not show last night. _Of course, Idiot, why would she smile during a battle?_ he silently cursed as he continued crafting.

After some minutes, he glanced at Alicia and saw her whisking eggs. Apparently she realized that she was noticed, so that she glanced back at Very.

"What's your name?" she asked, "I'm Alicia, second year from pastry."

"Oh, I'm-," _yeah, and you're the Rector's daughter who steals everyone's eyes only by breathing, like I don't know,_ "I'm Very. First year, sugarcraft."

"Oh, new student," said Alicia before she put down her whisked eggs on the table, "But I can never craft caramels like that, you must teach me someday," she smiled again.

"Um, a-are you baking pound cake?" guessed Very after checking all her ingredients and tools.

"Yes," replied Alicia, "But I can't make a good one, it's always rough. I want to give it to someone very skillful, so I can't embarrass myself, right?" she giggled.

Very winced as he arranged the petals into a flower, "Skillful?" he asked, "Is it your father or...a lecturer?"

"So, you already knew that I'm the Rector's daughter," she smiled mischievously, "It's for Chef Bejo. All his works always impress me, and I can't forget his custard pudding that I first taste in my first year, that's why I want to give something back to him, like a gift," she whisked sugar as Very saw her ears turned red.

He rolled his eyes since he can tell how Alicia obviously grew feelings on Bejo, before he took a deep breath.

Apparently his job would be even harder than he thought. Not only he had to approach a girl who was extremely beautiful at night but undeniably cute at day, but also because the said girl turned out fell in love with his own boss.


	3. Chapter 3

**[Author's Note]** How many centuries have passed?

LOL just kidding. I know it's been too long since the last time I updated this story, and you know what? When I meant to update it two days ago, in the first day of this month, I could not log in! Damn this web, why stopping my good faith?

Alright, that was overrated. Well, in short, I could finally log in in the third day, which is today.

Honestly, all this time I was facing writer's block. I already knew how this story would go in a big picture, I know how this would end, but I don't know how to connect all those puzzle pieces to become one big story. And it took me too long, I know, I realized. I have been telling myself to write, but nothing came up in my mind. Even I dreamed about Arifin Putra many times in my sleep and woke up knowing that it must be a message from God for me to continue writing. Okay, that was a joke, but the dream was fact. Really, still, after he visited me in some dreams I could not find what to write. Until someday I found a fanpage in Facebook, which is Iko Uwais Fanpage.

Like a light at the end of the tunnel, the photos I saw in that fanpage were exceptionally adorable and inspiring. All the casts made adorable poses and it looks like they really are friends who are having a lot of fun, just like Uco and Alicia do with all their friends in this story. A photo of Iko and Arifin sitting on the same table with Julie Estelle and Yayan Ruhian, probably in a restaurant, enlightened me. Well, how did it not, since this story is about culinary?

The story draft itself has reached the 7th chapter now. Hopefully I won't stop writing anymore, because even myself can't wait to see what's going to happen with the four main characters.

Well, what's more to wait? Hurry read and review!

* * *

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films**

**Like A Fool © Keira Knightley **

* * *

Very kept crafting the caramels while Alicia continued baking her pound cake. Scent of vanilla from the oven tempted him as well as it reminded him that he did not have breakfast before morning class. He prayed that there would never be any weird sounds coming out from his stomach, but it did not seem to come true. Alicia was startled to hear it while Very started to blush as he cursed silently.

"You're hungry?" she giggled, "Wait a minute, okay?" she pulled out her pound cake from the oven as the vanilla scent got clearer. Even from the scent, Very could tell that the cake tasted good. But instead of saying a thing, he just continued crafting a small horse with the caramels.

Another thing that he worried about approaching the twins was that he was actually a shy kid. He was socially awkward, so that he still have not find friends to gather with yet.

"Maybe it can't help your hunger, but do you want to try this?" Alicia gave a piece of her vanilla pound cake on a small plate to Very.

"Eh?" Very was surprised, "But…it's for Chef Bejo, right?" he winced. Suddenly he felt bad for letting his hungry stomach make such a sound when someone was exactly baking.

"Um…yes and no," replied Alicia, "Yes because I'm still practicing, so maybe I won't give him anything today. No because I'll be happier if my cake can help a hungry person," she smiled, "Come on, take this," she took Very's right hand from the caramel and put her cake on it, made the younger guy's heart jump.

He did not know which one impressed him more, Alicia's sincere smile or a kindness that she showed within her words. He wondered whether she really was the same girl who wielded dual claw hammers hungrily last night.

"Uh, thank you," and that was the only words he could find before he bite the cake and chewed it. As he expected, it tasted not less good than the ones sold in patisseries because the vanilla was spread balanced at the entire cake, even the texture of the cake was soft for pound cake. He glanced at Alicia who was also eating her own cake but she did not look satisfied.

"Not yet," she shook, "Not this one. Sigh…," she whined. Very chewed all his cake and rolled his eyes, wondering what might not satisfy Alicia but he did not find it.

"What's going on?" he tried to ask. Alicia glanced at him before she shrugged.

"I don't know why I never bake a quite good one," she replied as she leaned on the edge of her table, "I'll only embarrass myself in front of Chef Bejo with this cake," she sighed again. Very winced.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "This is good."

"It's because you're hungry," she giggled, "Here, have some more," she cut some slices of her cake again and gave them all to Very, who was between too hungry and too amazed of her kindness to resist. He ate it slice by slice and still did not find any wrong things with the cake, even when he started not to feel hungry anymore.

"No, it's…good," he said after he ate all the slices, "Thank you."

"Anytime," she smiled.

Very started to feel guilty, not to mention that his heart skipped a beat when Alicia smiled. He started to doubt his mission to approach her in order to find her weakness, so that it would be easier to knock down her father's gangster. As he started to craft again, he cursed of why it should be her.

Why it should be a girl with an angelic smile.

"Hey, why don't we have some brunch?" she looked at her watch after cleaning up her table, "I'm kinda craving for some chocolates, I think Chef Andi's dark brownies in the café sounds good. Come on, I'll treat you!" she pulled Very's hand, surprised him.

"Wait, but I-I'm still-,"

"Okay, clean it up quickly, I'll wait for you," she looked at her watch again, "If you don't finish in three minutes, I won't give you second chance," she giggled.

Even though Very knew Alicia only teased him about not giving second chance, he somehow did not want to waste any longer time. He cleaned up his table and wrapped his crafted caramels. He could not miss a chance to finally approach her in an easier way than he thought.

_Or maybe I just can't resist her?_ he wondered.

* * *

Uco kept staring at his front right side at advanced ferment theory class in bread department building. He still had no idea why Eka took a class that he was not required to take, and worse, he took it together with Ryuuichi who has surely already passed it with grade A. They were sitting side by side while Uco was some rows behind them.

He snorted. He was still pissed off about last night battle, when a stranger suddenly punched his head harshly until he lost consciousness right away. Moreover, he was also irritated to know that all this time Alicia already found out that he grew feelings on Eka without ever mentioned it in front of him until yesterday. He was irritated that she told him to confess to Eka but at the same time she teased Eka about Ryuuichi.

Uco took some notes again on his textbook before he fixed his eyeglasses. The lecturer was boring, but he realized he needed to master this subject in order to be a certified baker, which was his dream since he was a kid. He expected Goto to teach, but only a junior lecturer appeared in the class. He loved being taught by Goto both in theory and practice, not only because his Japanesse breads inspired him, but also because Goto's teaching method was fun and encouraging. His absence in class lowered Uco's mood down below the earth.

When the clock showed 12PM, Uco stood off quickly and walked out the class without responding when Eka called his name, because he did not want to be more irritated when seeing him together with Ryuuichi. He did not want to feel more defeated to know that Eka admired a person like Ryuuichi, whom he knew well since they were all kids, even before Eka was brought to his house.

Ryuuichi was not a kind of someone he could beat easily, because he got the look, the brain, and the talent. He got the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) among students in his year, and what Uco hated most was he must admit that he loves Ryuuichi's pies.

"Shit!" he cursed when someone suddenly bumped at him. They were both pushed behind.

"Oh, sorry, I-,"

"Are you blind?!" yelled Uco as he glared at someone who was bumped at him. It was a boy who was shorter than him. He has soft curls on his hair and clear eyes, and Uco barely smelled a scent of dark chocolate from around him.

"I'm sorry," said that boy, "Uh, you-,"

"What?" snapped Uco, "Still not satisfied with bumping at me?"

The other boy winced before he chuckled. Uco was surprised since he expected him to yell back at him, because usually other people would be irritated when he started to act harshly.

"You're too tense," said that boy, "Do you know what you need right now?" he asked.

"Huh? Wha-,"

His question was interrupted when that boy threw something right at his opened mouth. He chewed it as he recognized right away that it was an almond infusion. As the chocolate melted between his teeth and tongue before it reached his throat, he felt his temper slowly gets back to normal.

"Chill, grumpy kid," that boy chuckled, "Take it as an introduction gift. I'm Rama, third year from chocolate," he raised his hand to shake Uco's, while Uco was spacing out.

He never found anyone being friendly towards him after he got mad before, but this boy, whose name was Rama, whom he never even noticed before, seemed to know how to handle him.

* * *

"Tck, dammit!" Uco put back his chocolate glazed choux to the table. After choux and éclair baking class in chocolate department building, he still did not leave the kitchen because he was pissed with Andi's comment on his choux. Andi said he would never make a baker if all that he can do is only baking breads.

"Then what should I do, son of a bitch?!" Uco banged the table angrily. First, he was sick of Andi's attitude towards him, and second, deep inside he already knew his weakness without knowing how to overcome it.

Andi was right, he could only bake breads without mastering the others. He could not make soft filling cream , not even to make shiny glazed topping. He did not know how, because all this time he was only focused on baking soft but strong-tasted breads. He knew how to bake nearly all worldwide breads, but he was terrible at the others.

He sat on the table, taking off his neckerchief and eyeglasses before he ate his own choux. He chewed and snorted when he tasted the rough chocolate glaze on the choux. But suddenly he somehow remembered what happened at the past 12PM. Suddenly he felt as if the almond infusion was still in his mouth, as he was reminded of a picture of himself shaking Rama's hand. The infusion was a little bitter because it was made with dark chocolate, but its sweetness in disguise tickled his interest.

"Dammit, how the hell did he—SHIT!"

Uco swore right when he looked at the kitchen door and saw Rama there, who looked shock as well. They both were shocked, apparently because they did not expect there would be anyone else staying in or coming to the kitchen since it was already 4PM when nearly all classes were finished. Especially Uco, who happened to be thinking of Rama right before he appeared.

"What the hell are you do-,"

"That should be my question," Rama interrupted as he entered the kitchen. He was wearing chef trainee uniform as well, and there were some thin books in his arms.

"Huh?" Uco was startled, "You think you own this place or what?" he started to feel irritated.

"No, but I'm a chocolate student and you're baking…," he glanced at Uco's table, "…choux in chocolate department building. If I'm not mistaken, you're bread student, right?" he put his books on a table next to Uco's. Uco winced.

"Yeah, and since when chocolate department building is only made for its students?" he returned. Rama sighed before he chuckled and heated water in a pot.

"You're a difficult person," he teased, "I bet my infusion was not enough to calm down your temper, and so was your chocolate glaze because it looks terrible."

Uco glared and stood off the table, "What do you want, huh?" he pushed Rama's shoulder without neither fear nor reluctance even though he knew Rama was older than him, "You suddenly came around from nowhere and mocked my work, who do you think you are? A chocolatier?"

But instead of responding Uco, Rama only smiled before he chopped a chocolate bar into small pieces, which made Uco speechless. Not only because Rama did not respond his anger, but also because he could chop the chocolate bar skillfully. All this time Uco always tried to do the same, but he could only chop bigger pieces, which made the chocolate was harder to melt.

"Are you here to bake or to watch me chopping chocolates?" teased Rama as he glanced at Uco for a second. Uco was blushed for getting caught, so that he only ended up snorting before he started whisking eggs to make another choux.

They were both busy with their own works for some minutes until Uco finished his choux dough and started to chop chocolate bars. He suddenly felt embarrassed after seeing Rama chopping that well, so that he glanced at Rama and was amazed of what he saw.

Rama was tempering the chocolate smoothly.

"Holy shit…," he murmured. The other person that he knew could do tempering perfectly was Andi, someday in basic chocolate baking practice class in his second semester. He knew even Bangun could not do tempering because his specialty was worldwide gateau, especially the ones from Indonesia.

"You must have studied about what tempering is for, right?" asked Rama as he still enjoyed tempering, "Then why don't you do the same now? It will shine your choux topping," he said.

Uco felt his temper started to calm down as he heard Rama, "Well, I—I'm not…,"

"You can't melt chocolate?" asked Rama. Uco was blushed before he shrugged.

"I can, but it was always rough," he replied, "I can't even chop it into small pieces."

"Maybe the chocolate that you chop was still frozen," said Rama before he took his leftover of chocolate bar and handed it to Uco, "Try with this one."

Uco took the chocolate bar and started to chop it. He was surprised to see how easily he chopped it into small pieces because the chocolate was not frozen. He still could not chop as fast as Rama, but he really learned a new useful knowledge that evening.

* * *

"Co, you ready?"

Eka suddenly appeared at Uco's opened bedroom door right when Uco had just put his white tee on. It was already 7PM and everyone was getting ready at home, because this night they would go to Menteng area again to check whether there might be some assaults to the guards.

"Yeah," Uco put on his dark brown leather jacket before he left his bedroom in the second floor of the house. He walked downstairs as Eka followed.

"Everything's secure by far?" asked Uco while they both walked to the garage.

"I haven't received any phone calls about that, so I assume it's secure by far," replied Eka. Before they headed to an Audi R8 Coupe, somebody walked through the gate and waved when he saw Uco and Eka.

"Hey!" he said, "Looks like the twins are splitted again," he teased. Uco snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, say whatever," he said lazily, "Take care of my sister, Idiot, if anything ever happened to her I'll make sure my bullet slips through your brain, Kei."

Keiichi, that boy, laughed hard. He was Goto's youngest son, a second year student in pastry department. Like the other kids, he also received orders from his father to maintain areas under Bangun's control and that night he would be partnered with Alicia, while Uco was with Eka. He was Uco and Alicia's childhood friend. Meanwhile his older brother, Ryuuichi, did not appear because Fruitful and Delight was terribly crowded this noon, so that his favor was needed in the shop.

"How dare you say such a thing," he laughed, "You fainted first in the battle yesterday!"

"I don't want to hear it from someone who didn't appear in the meeting and the fight because of additional practice in advanced bread class," mocked Uco, "Come on, Ka," he and Eka got in the car and they both left the house, leaving Keiichi who was blushed because of the additional baking class.

* * *

Eka was driving while Uco turned on the radio to find out about traffic info before he checked his GPS. He hummed through a song played on the radio as he checked traffic jam location.

"You two really never changed," said Eka suddenly, "In the end, you both can't be in the same battle because you always worry about each other," he chuckled. Uco glanced at him.

"Yeah," he looked away, "If you want to laugh, just go ahead."

"Why would I do that?" Eka laughed, "You've always been a cynical person," he pat Uco's head. Uco felt his heart skipped a beat. He suddenly remembered that he kind of missed Eka's friendly pat that he (and Alicia) always received since they were all in middle school. Lately he always tried to keep off Eka because of Ryuuichi.

"I've trained my heart all these years not to explode whenever I saw you two hurt," said Eka as he was still driving, "But I can't. Yesterday I didn't even have enough heart to stay longer after driving you both home, so that I and Ryu went back to Chef Goto's house soon," he explained. Uco winced.

"You're being overrated," he said, "What is that for?"

"Look who's talking, someone who fainted because of losing focus when his sister was beaten," teased Eka, "I was just being in your shoes, Uco, because since I was brought to the house and saw you two, I've deemed you two as my real brother and sister. And it never changed," he pat Uco's head again.

But Uco did not feel delighted with that pat. He did not say a thing as he tried to see the truth, that Eka only saw him as a brother. Deep inside he already knew about it all this time, but he kept being spoiled of Eka's kindness and thought that it was all special until one day after a class in his first year he caught Eka looking at Ryuuichi in a way that he refused to describe.

_You're wrong, Al_, he took a deep breath as he watched the street, _confession is not necessary_.

* * *

Rama and Very had just walked out Le Ciel's underground chamber. They got in a black Volvo S80 with Rama at the driver seat before they left.

"So, according to the plan," said Rama, "Since our faces had been seen by the twins, we'll only watch the men from a distance," he turned on the radio as he continued driving. Very, who was sitting next to him, only nodded.

Rama chuckled. He already understood his partner's passive traits since he was taken care by Bejo when he was still in middle school. Back then, Rama was still in his last year of middle school and he was only a pencak silat teen athlete. As he drove, his mind was blown into his childhood.

* * *

_It was drizzling at the graveyard. Rama was staring at his parents' graves, where they had just been buried. They passed away because of an airplane accident when they were on their flight to Switzerland for a research about processing of cocoa beans in order to expand their chocolate shop, Morceau de Chocolat. It was a small but well-known chocolate shop that only sells processed chocolates, which was why Rama's parents, who were both chocolate artists, wanted to expand their business by learning about processing chocolates from scratch._

_ But before it ever came true, they were already gone, leaving Rama who was still a second-grade student of middle school, and his brother who was still in his first semester in a baking academy._

_ "Ram, let's go," his brother embraced his shoulder and brought him away under an umbrella._

_ "Brother," said Rama, "Can we do this alone?" he asked. _

_His brother glanced at him yet did not respond until they arrived in front of a car which would bring them back to their house._

"_Yes," he replied, "As long as you promise to always stick with me."_

"_I promise," said Rama, "I have nowhere else to go."_

"_Good," his brother pat his head, "But first, we need to say farewell to the shop."_

_Rama was shocked, "What? Why?" he asked, "Then…how will we live?" he was panicked._

"_Don't worry about that," replied his brother, "I promise I'll get the shop back someday. I promise I'll rebuild Morceau de Chocolat from scratch as well as I'll study about processing chocolate from scratch, like what Mom and Dad dreamed of."_

_Rama could not argue. His brother stared straight at him, and by that he knew that his brother would hold on to his words about rebuilding the shop, so that he had no choice but to trust him and to always stay with him as he promised._


	4. Chapter 4

**[Author's Note]** ARGH third day of the month! I've uploaded this since like a week ago, because I had a business trip on the first day of the month, but sometimes thingss don't go your way because I extended my stay during business trip because of a LATE opponent in the court hearing -_- and when I came home in the second day of the month, I still didn't have internet connection at home because the modem was broken. Geez. I could finally made this today. Finally.

Okay, enough about the delayed update.

Last week I attended the first Jakarta Comic Con just because I heard that Arifin Putra, yeah the Uco himself, would appear for a new TV series promotion. And yes, I saw him with my own two eyes right before my nose, close enough to touch. But what did I do? NOTHING. LOL I was too mesmerized and confused, since I was afraid the committee would forbid me from talking with him, so I just ended up watching him like a crazy stalker.

I have a presumption that he noticed me who walks around him and he probably thinks I'm a dangerous maniac psychopath. Whatever. LOL.

Well, my purpose for attending the event was none but bringing some ideas home. Some new ideas, some glues to compound the scattered puzzle pieces. It came true, though, I am currently drafting the 10th chapter and hopefully I won't stop like ever before. And for those who might expect a long story, yes, this story would probably contain of more than 20 chapters because there are 4 main characters to develop here.

Oh, anyway, not just Uco, but I also saw Alex Abbad, the Bejo guy. Quite close enough to touch, but nope, I saw him busy with interviews by the media. The good thing is I finally wrote a new scene that involves Bejo.

Anyway, in this story I made some good interactions between Rama and Very, the Baseball Bat Man, showing their good comradeship. This idea actually came from the real life, where Iko Uwais and Very Tri Yulisman are real friends from the same pencak silat club, and I love seeing their funny interaction with each other in social media *cough Instagram cough* that I ended up bringing it to the story, picturing them as two Bejo's warlords.

Well, enough with the talks. Just enjoy the show and please review!

* * *

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films**

**You © Switchfoot **

* * *

"Hey," Very woke Rama up from his childhood story, "Watch out."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rama drove faster, apparently he did it slower because of spacing out before, "Anyway, tell me how you met Alicia. I just came back, so I haven't seen her clearly," he said.

Rama had indeed just come back from Belgium for two purposes. As a pencak silat athlete, he had an international championship which was coincidentally held at the same place where he studied as an exchange student. Meanwhile, as a chocolate department student, he was selected to participate in a student exchange program which was an annual program in St. Infinity. He spent his second year of campus life in Belgium, because it turned out that he was requested to stay longer there to teach pencak silat, together with the other athletes.

"Um, she's…," Very did not continue as he looked out the car window. Rama winced as he looked at Very before he ended up chuckling.

"Whoa," he said, "You're great at explaining things by saying nothing at all," he laughed, while Very kept quiet and looked out the window. From how Very reacted, Rama could tell right away that Very was blushing because Alicia had fascinated him. He ever heard that Alicia was a beautiful girl, but he almost never saw her because she was in different department.

"Is she that beautiful?" he asked again.

"Yeah, sort of," replied Very, "And she's super nice."

"Wait, what?" Rama was surprised, "Super nice? A daughter of a gangster boss should be like…intimidating, but you said she's super nice?" he asked. Very nodded.

"I haven't find friends until now," he said, "But in our first encounter, she treated me like a friend."

Rama drove the car left as he nodded. He felt sorry for Very who was socially awkward, but at the same time he was glad somebody treats him nicely. He never spilled about this to anyone, but deep inside he really liked Very for his innocence and timid traits which make him genuine. But then he chuckled when he remembered his own experience.

"Super nice, huh? Heh-heh," he said, "The twins may look alike, but they seem to have totally different traits," he chuckled again. Very winced and glanced at him.

"Is Uco not a super nice person?" he asked.

"Well, to be continued," Rama stopped and parked the car. They arrived in Menteng area.

Rama put on the hood on his jacket as he walked next to Very. They tried to find some Bejo's people along the street, and they nodded at them when they met some before they continued walking. Rama's eyes wandered around, just in case he would find Bangun's people or even the twins.

"Wait," said Very suddenly as he stopped walking, "Did you hear that?" he asked.

Rama winced and sharpened his hearing. Very was right, there was a sound from around fifty meters. They both walked faster to the source of the sound and hide behind the walls of some small old shop buildings before they peeked to the street. What they saw turned to amaze them both.

There was Uco fighting with seven Bejo's people, whom were skillful in martial arts, which Rama recognized because sometimes he had silat exercise with some of them. But unlike in the previous night, he was not assisted by his sister. He was assisted by someone that Rama did not recognize, but his fast karate moves nearly resembled Uco's level. And none of them were afraid facing seven people, they could even cooperate with each other nearly as good as when Uco worked with Alicia.

And there was only one thing that crossed Rama's mind: Uco and Alicia might have another sibling who was assisting Uco there.

"I know him," whispered Very as he watched the fight. Rama glanced at him.

"What?" he was startled, "Who is he?"

"He's my senior, a sugarcraft student," replied Very, "If I'm not mistaken, his name is Eka."

"Huh?" Rama was getting more surprised, yet he did not find words to say. Bejo totally did not inform him that one of Bangun's people was a student in St. Infinity. But the more he watched them fighting, which victory was on Uco and Eka's side, he started to be able to recall Eka's face in his past. On the other side, something else tickled his mind.

It was a coldness that he caught on Uco's eyes when he punched his opponent, which shows persistence of he would never be afraid of any stronger opponents nor looking down at the weaker. The coldness that he did not see when he met Uco at the day, when he was only a short-tempered boy.

* * *

"What did you just say?" asked Bejo after he swallowed his wheat tea.

"My senior, Eka, assisted Uco," replied Very.

Rama and Very had just come back to Le Ciel's underground chamber after they saw five people were defeated by Uco and Eka, while the rest ran away. They knew they could not counter Uco and Eka right away because according to the order, their job was only watching the people. Afterwards, they came back to appear before Bejo and Andi, who were sitting on the couch and having tea after work, to report about the situation.

"Eka?" asked Bejo, "Eka the fruit crafter?" he added. Very rolled his eyes before he nodded. Nobody was speaking afterwards for about one minute.

"Did you know about this?" asked Andi.

"I should've told you all if I did, no?" Bejo returned before he put his cup of tea on the table. He was still acting cool, yet Rama could see that he was shocked because Eka's existence in Bangun's team did not seem to be under his prediction. Again, nobody was speaking for a minute.

"Chill, Jo," said Andi before he sipped his wheat tea and sat relaxed on the couch, "With all due respect, can I give order to my brother?" he asked. Bejo, who seemed to run out of idea, nodded. Andi stared at Rama.

"Why don't you approach Eka as well, Ram?" he smirked, "He's in third year like you, it should be easier than approaching Uco who's in second year, right?"

Rama shrugged, "I don't know, Brother," he said, "Now that you said that, I remember I knew Eka in my first year, when we still have several same classes. But now, we're both in third year, he's in sugarcraft dept and I'm in chocolate dept, the classes we take are totally different."

"Well, at least you don't need to bump at him and being yelled like you did to Uco," said Andi, trying to break the ice, "From what I notice, Eka is a normal kid."

Rama chuckled, so did Bejo and Very. All his life, he really owed Andi for always being capable to calm everyone, especially him, with his words or jokes. It never changed since they were kids, and he knew it would never change when Andi promised him to rebuild Morceau de Chocolat seven years ago in the day their deceased parents were buried.

Because they were on their way there.

* * *

Alicia stared at her vanilla pound cake for almost three minutes without doing anything. She was still in pastry department kitchen on second floor with Dwi, while her best friend had yawned for about five times waiting for her to decide whether she would give the cake to Bejo or not. She was confused. All her life she could bake many cakes, and she was always confident enough with the taste although she knew she has not really mastered baking fine texture yet. But this time it was different.

"Al, are you going to give it to him or not?" asked Dwi, "Because I almost fell asleep waiting for you making decision, and I still have advanced tart baking class that maybe Chef Prakoso handles," she looked at Alicia with lazy eyes.

"I don't know, Dwi," replied Alicia. Dwi glared.

"What?!" she snapped, "Al, come on! You've spent all your lives baking this pound cake and you can't still decide? Just give it to him, we know Chef Bejo is not a difficult person!" she walked back and forth behind Alicia, "It's a different story if you have crush on Chef Andi."

Alicia could not help but laugh. Dwi was right, the two lecturers she just mentioned were very different in class. Bejo was more like a motivational and encouraging teacher when teaching, especially when he tasted the students' works, while Andi was a critical and cynical one in class. She remembered Uco pouted all day yesterday after his choux was criticized by Andi in choux and éclair baking class.

"Hey, what if I have crush on Chef Koso?" teased Alicia.

"Then I think you can give him your pound cake over my dead body," Dwi squinted. Alicia laughed again. Dwi indeed had crush on Prakoso, the head of pastry department. Prakoso had actually been Bangun's right hand since Alicia and Uco were kids, in both running the school and the patisseries, also in maintaining the underworld.

"Well, then, I'll give this to Chef Bejo," Alicia took two small boxes from a cupboard in the corner of the kitchen, "I don't care what he'll say," she cut the cake into two big slices and put them in the boxes to be packaged. Dwi nodded, satisfied.

"Good for you," she said, "Are you going to give all of them?"

"No," replied Alicia, "You want to bring one home?" she gave a box to Dwi.

"I don't think so," said Dwi, "I still have class, and I'm too lazy to re-heat it at home."

"Fine, then," Alicia took off her chef hat, "I'll find Very, he might want this."

"Who's Very?" asked Dwi curiously, "How rare of you mention a guy's name beside Chef Bejo and Uco."

"He's a first-year student," Alicia giggled as she cleaned the kitchen up, "I met him accidentally in sugarcraft dept kitchen and he's being very nice to me. He's a cute kid, too."

"Wow, sounds like you keep eyes on him," teased Dwi, "It's not like you, praising guys."

Alicia rolled her eyes before she shrugged, "Well, let's go now, you have class, right?" she said. Dwi nodded before they both left the kitchen.

* * *

According to the plan, Alicia would give her pound cake to Bejo, so that she waited outside a classroom in the second floor of sugarcraft department building where Bejo was teaching basic tart theory to first year students. She peeked at the classroom through the window glass and found Bejo drew a tart on the white board that makes her smile. She remembered when she was still in first year, she also took basic tart theory class where Bejo was one of the lecturers, and he explained the theory by drawing like that.

It had been thirty minutes and Alicia started to feel sleepy. She wanted to leave and go somewhere, like the café, but she did not want to miss a chance that maybe Bejo would walk out the classroom during class. Feeling too tired and sleepy, she finally sat on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. Lately she lacked of sleep because of her night activity watching Menteng area, although last night she was not involved in any fights like Uco and Eka, and because she spent the rest of her time baking pound cake.

"…a? …cia?"

Alicia heard a sound but her eyes were too lazy to open.

"Alicia, wake up!" somebody shook her shoulder twice, forced her to open her eyes slowly. Once her eyes were half-opened, she saw a couple of eyes that she felt like she ever seen once somewhere.

"…uh," she rubbed her eyes to see clearly, "Very?"

"Why are you sleeping here?"

It was Very who woke her up. He was on his knees in front of her.

"Uh, I…," Alicia rubbed her eyes again, "Eh, what are you doing here?" she was surprised.

"Well, this is sugarcraft department building," replied Very innocently, "I'm in basic tart theory class."

"Ah, the class!" said Alicia, "Is it already dismissed?" she asked. Very shook.

"Um, do you have class here?" he asked. Alicia smiled and shook before she was a little surprised with a little change in Very's expression.

"I'm waiting for Chef Bejo," she replied, "And you?" she asked.

"Uh, I was about to go to toilet," replied Very, "But then I saw you were sleeping, and…,"

He did not continue. Alicia winced as she saw the younger boy blushed for something she did not understand. She rolled her eyes and was wondering. When she thought that maybe Very saw her doing something embarrassing while sleeping, like drooling, she wiped around her mouth but she did not find any slobber. She checked at her clothes, for maybe her shirt was unbuttoned accidentally, but she only got herself wearing Rocket Raccoon print tee and jeans, so that nothing could be unbuttoned.

_Oh, geez, but he's cute like that_, she thought.

"Well, come on, get up," Very stood up and passed his right hand to Alicia but he tried not look at her. Within her confusion, Alicia reached his hand and got off the floor. She bent down to get her bag, while Very bent down to get her boxes of cake and handed it to her.

"This smells good," he smiled awkwardly, "I'm leaving," he walked away to the corner of the floor, where the toilet was. Without she understood, Alicia's eyes followed where Very goes. She was startled when she saw boxes in her hands.

"Oh, no, I forgot to give him!" she said.

"Forgot what, Alicia?"

"Eh?" Alicia was shocked when suddenly she heard another male voice and turned around. It was Bejo there, who had just left the class for a while. He smiled before he winced.

"What scent is this?" he asked, "I smell vanilla."

"O-oh, yes, Chef," Alicia handed one of the boxes to Bejo as her heart was beating harder, since she was too delight to finally see Bejo, "Please take this."

Bejo winced again, but then he took the box and opened it. Alicia could not stop her heart from beating fast for two reasons: Bejo looked adorable in simple white shirt with folded long sleeves and black pants right in front of her, and she worried of what he would think of her cake.

"Pound cake?" asked Bejo, "Vanilla pound cake, exactly. Smells very good," he smiled again and made Alicia's heart jump.

"Um, please give it a try," said Alicia timidly. Bejo nodded and took a small fork that was prepared next to the cake inside the box.

"The packaging is very good, did you get an A in packaging class?" he asked and cut the cake before he put it in his mouth. Alicia nodded. She remembered how easily she got A grade because she was used to helped her father packaging sweets in their shops since she was kid.

"Good," said Bejo as he chewed, "A little too soft for pound cake, actually, but…what is this?" he chewed slowly, "White chocolate?"

"Chunk of white chocolate pieces," Alicia smiled timidly, "I think plain pound cake is boring, so I tried to minimize the sweetness and put some chocolate chunks to surprise you instead."

"Well, I'm surprised, so you nailed it," Bejo smiled and pat Alicia's head, "But still, it's pound cake. Don't whisk the flour too long, because we still need its roughness. And for the taste, what should I say?" he teased. Alicia winced before she started to feel guilty.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry…," she said regretfully, "It's not good, isn't it?"

"Nooo," Bejo laughed, "It's too delicious that I'm running out of words!" he ate the cake piece by piece until only half of it was left. As her heart was bounced to the sky, Alicia smiled and exhaled.

"Thank you, Chef," she said. Bejo shook.

"It should be me thanking you," he said, "Well, I'm sorry to interrupt here but I have to call someone. See you in class, Al," he put the fork back in the box and closed it before he picked up his phone. Alicia nodded.

"See you, Chef!" she waved and walked away. Nearly she pressed a button next to the elevator before she remembered she still had another box in her hand, so that she cancelled going down and headed to the corner of the floor instead.

* * *

_Very stood off his seat during basic tart theory class in sugarcraft department building. He walked out the classroom, after he glanced at Bejo who nodded at him, to go to the toilet. He was only two steps outside when he was surprised with Alicia sitting on the floor and sleeping. He winced._

_ "Uh…Alicia?" he looked at her and tried to wake her up by calling her, but she was still asleep. He bent down on a knee to call her again, but before he ever opened his mouth, the sight of sleeping Alicia stopped him. He ended up staring at her face instead, until he came to a conclusion that all his life, he had never seen something so beautiful._

_ Instead of keep staring, something pushed Very to bend closer to Alicia. Yet when his lips nearly touched hers, he realized and backed off her. He closed his eyes and shook vigorously before he finally braced up to shake Alicia's shoulder._

* * *

After washing his hand in washing stand, Very turned the sink off and stared quite long at the mirror. He looked at his own face shamefully. He could not stop feeling embarrassed whenever he recalled what he almost do to Alicia, yet at the same time the picture of sleeping Alicia refused to leave his mind. He sighed before he looked at his watch. There was still thirty minutes of class.

He walked out the toilet to go back to the classroom, but he was stopped and shocked again.

"Hey!" said Alicia, who apparently waited outside the toilet, "I forgot to give you this," she handed a box.

Very narrowed his eyebrow. He was between surprised to see Alicia again right after he thought of her, and confused of why she suddenly gave him something that looks like a box of cake.

"Wh-what?" he asked, "What is this?"

"Pound cake," replied Alicia. Very was startled.

"Eh?" he said, "But, this should be…for…,"

"Yeah, I've given him," said Alicia, "But giving him all of it would be bothersome, you know, he can't eat it all alone. Here, take this."

"But…why?" asked Very again, "I-I mean…I don't mean to disrespect you, I just-,"

"I know, I know, relax!" Alicia giggled, "I just think that you might want this, because you said it was delicious when we were in the kitchen. Besides, I really enjoy our time in the café back then."

Very nearly forgot to blink. He had spent nearly a week in St. Infinity and there was no student in sugarcraft department, in his class, wanted to talk too long with him because of his passive and timid traits. He was always alone both in the class and the kitchen, and he only had friends when there were some group assignments in practice classes. It made people talk to him, yet only during work.

But Alicia was different. She showed him the light at the end of his dark tunnel.


	5. Chapter 5

**[Author's Note]** Oh Gosh.

It's been nearly a year since the I uploaded the last chapter. I was too confused, I forgot to upload the story each first day of each month for I don't know how many times, that I ended up uploading nothing.

And some weeks ago I got a review from anonymous reader that makes me feel really bad for ignoring this story. Well, actually I really haven't continued writing although I've had about 10 chapter drafts. I must remind myself not to forget uploading again.

Oh anyway, during those days I didn't pay attention to The Raid thingy, I saw Iko Uwais (the actor playing Rama/Yuda) back in Sushi Tei, a local sushi restaurant, nearby. I once heard he lives with his family near my house, though, since his wife was my middle school senior. He came with his wife and two other men, probably people who want to work with him. He was genuinely handsome, like really. He looks even younger than his age, than his appearance on the screen. Apparently he takes good care of his skin besides doing all those martial arts activity because he actually has such flawless skin. I really wish he married Arifin Putra (the Uco guy) in the real life, they would doubtlessly make a flawless couple. How I wish I can keep them in my room *_*

After that moment, I opened the drafts and read them all over again. I was hoping to find anything to write about, but too bad that nothing came into my mind. I am probably burdened because the next thing I must write is about the huge development in Uco and Rama's relationship, so I won't forgive myself to fail.

Well, I've said too much. Here it goes and please give me some reviews.

* * *

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films **

**Yellow © Coldplay **

* * *

"So, he said that my cake tastes good until he's running out of words to explain," said Alicia before she bite her red bean mochi, while Very was still chewing vanilla pound cake that he received from her. They were having brunch in St. Infinity Café and Alicia was telling him about her giving the cake to Bejo.

St. Infinity Café was an eatery for students, lecturers, and all the staff of St. Infinity which was located in a separated small building between pastry department building and bread department building. Although it was an eatery, its concept was like a fine diner, yet it was still mentioned as café. All the main courses were outsider chefs' recipes, yet all its desserts were made from the lecturers' and top students' recipes. One of the desserts was Ryuuichi's apple strudel, which was lecturers' favorite.

"This white chocolate chunk is delighting," Very chewed and smiled. After swallowing some chocolate chunks, he felt relaxed in front of Alicia.

"Finally you smile," Alicia giggled.

Very chuckled timidly. He remembered he never smiled properly at Alicia since they first met because he was always too nervous. As strange warmth somehow fulfilled his heart, he wondered what Alicia was made of because she was not only beautiful at look but also at heart. Moreover, she was never disturbed with his timid traits while she had not even known him better yet.

"Hey, Al!" suddenly a guy's voice called Alicia. Very turned around to see who it was.

"What's that? Oh, well…that mochi again," a girl who walked next to the boy giggled when she looked at their table. Very recognized the boy right away but he turned around again to hide his shock.

"How can I help a taste from my childhood?" Alicia shrugged, "Oh, Very, this is my brother Uco and my friend Dwi," she introduced them to Very. When Very nodded timidly at them, Uco furrowed his eyebrow while Dwi grinned.

"Oh, so you're the Very that Alicia mentioned," she said, "As cute as said," she winked to tease Alicia, but Alicia only shrugged.

Hearing Dwi's last words, Very was surprised to know that Alicia seemed to praise him in front of her friend, and he only wished that his cheeks won't flush.

"I'm hungry," said Uco, "Can we join?" he asked.

"Ver, is it okay that they join us? It's almost lunch time, though," Alicia glanced at her watch. Very nodded right away as he wondered why Alicia asked for his permission while she was the one who asked him to have brunch.

"You're in first year?" asked Dwi after she and Uco took seats, and Very nodded, "What's your department?"

"Sugarcraft," replied Very before he ate the last piece of Alicia's pound cake.

"Aww, you must be getting along well with marzipans," said Dwi, "I can't handle it, only got C grade in basic marzipan crafting class, damn," she whined.

Alicia laughed, "You should've brought Chef Isa more of your green tea glazed donuts," she teased.

While his three seniors talked and joked with each other, Very was noticing them. From the conversation, he found out that Uco walked together with Dwi because they just finished advanced tart baking class in pastry department building. He also found out that Uco was purely a baker because he said Prakoso, the lecturer in charge, teased him in class since Uco baked a tart which was almost as soft as bread, and that Dwi mastered green tea sweets because she proudly said that she nailed baking green tea tart that Prakoso praised. Very saw Prakoso once in basic cake theory class, and he thought Prakoso was an amazing lecturer that it might be why he led pastry department.

"Eh, isn't that Eka?" Alicia suddenly pointed at the café entrance door.

Very was startled for a second before he followed where Alicia pointed. She was right, Eka had just entered the café together with Rama. They looked like in a fun conversation.

"Who's with him?" asked Dwi.

"It's Rama, chocolate student," replied Uco as he stared oddly at them.

Very was there when Rama reported to Bejo and Andi about him getting along with Uco, but that was all he knew. He silently wondered what the meaning of Uco's gaze was.

* * *

After basic fruit crafting class was finished, Very took a commuter line to go home. He lived in tiny flat located near Le Ciel and Bejo's residence around Kemang area, which room is a studio size and only had a bathroom. Yet he liked that place because there was a small kitchen in the corner of the room, where he could practice baking and crafting.

He nearly took off his tee to change when his phone was buzzing. He picked it from his jeans to find Bejo's name on the screen.

"Yes?" replied Very as he sat on his bed.

"Saw you in Alicia's circle," said Bejo over there, "Good job."

"Thank you," said Very, whose heart suddenly jumped when that girl's name was mentioned.

"Keep it up," ordered Bejo, "Stick to her, dig everything from her. And if possible…,"

"What?"

"Make her fall," replied Bejo, "In love."

Very was shocked that he accidentally stood off his bed, "Wh-what?! Make her…what?!"

"Fall in love with you," replied Bejo bluntly, "It will be easier for you to dig from her."

As his knees got weaker, Very sat back on his bed. He only replied Bejo with a gentle and nearly inaudible 'okay' before he ended the call. It was as if time stopped running when he repeatedly repeated Bejo's order in his mind: to make Alicia fall in love with him. While he knew exactly how Alicia adores Bejo.

And somehow he suffered a slight heartache as he thought of it.

"Dammit," he brushed his hair with his fingers, "Why?"

* * *

Uco whisked ingredients in a bowl, while Rama molded the rest of his liquid chocolate into animal shapes. He repeatedly glanced at how quick Rama finished his job. They were both in a kitchen in chocolate department building. Uco planned to practice making chocolate filling, but when he arrived Rama was already there, tempering.

"I never saw you before," said Uco as he continued whisking, "Where were you?" he asked.

"Belgium," replied Rama as he bent down to check the condition of his chocolates closer, "Student exchange program. You're not enrolled?" he asked back.

Uco snorted and chuckled.

"I can't even chop chocolate properly," he replied, "Rather than embarrassing myself in the selection test, I chose not to take it."

His mind was blown into when he, Alicia, Dwi, Keiichi, and all first year students were given chance to participate in student exchange program. He remembered how he and Alicia decided not to participate because their capability was still below developed, and even none of them were top students. Especially him, whose capability was only baking breads.

"How humble of you," teased Rama, "Here, take it," he gave a giraffe-shaped chocolate to Uco who just finished whisking. After he put back the bowl to his table, Uco took the chocolate and ate it.

"Oh," he chewed slowly, "I didn't see you put blueberry into the chocolates," he chewed again. The savor of the chocolate was very high because of the blueberry, while it was only a molded chocolate. And not only it had high savor, it somehow strengthen Uco to finish his chocolate-filled croissant. As if it burned his spirit.

"You're…," said Uco after he swallowed the chocolate, "Top student?"

"Sort of," Rama chuckled, "Why, you're not?" he asked.

Uco smirked and poured the chocolate cream to a sliced bun dough, "This school won't lower its value by giving the highest GPA to someone who can't chop chocolate," he replied.

Rama laughed as Uco glanced at him. Uco was somehow fascinated with how innocent Rama looks when he laughs hard, especially because his clear eyes supported. But when he folded the croissant dough, he remembered when he saw Rama walked with Eka to the café that gives him a strange unpleasant feeling.

"It's not that you can't chop chocolate," Rama chuckled, "But the chocolate was still frozen."

"Still can't do better than you," Uco arranged his raw buns on the brass.

"If you can chop chocolate better than a chocolate student, then I don't deserve being top student," said Rama as he walked to the refrigerator to put his chocolates.

Uco glanced at Rama again before he heated the oven. He wondered what makes himself acting humble in front of his senior, while he never even did it in front of his own father. He once thought that it might be because Rama was a top student, but then he remembered that his father was even a certified patissier. He did not even remember he ever acted humble in front of Ryuuichi, the top student in bread department.

"Hey, have you been to Le Ciel?" asked Rama suddenly.

"Huh?" Uco winced, "Yeah, but…rarely. I mean not as often as my sister."

"Your sister?" Rama furrowed his eyebrow.

"Yeah, Alicia, pastry student," replied Uco as he cleaned his dirty hands on his apron, "She loves every pudding there, especially the custard one."

"Then, come with her next time," said Rama, "I'm helping with the chocolates, and that molded chocolates would be sold there if Chef Bejo approved."

"Well, good luck," said Uco right when the oven was heated in the right temperature, "Tell me if it's sold, I'll come buy," he picked up the brass and put it in the oven. After a minute, Uco rolled his eyes as he realized about something.

"Wait, what is your relationship with Chef Bejo?" he asked.

"Oh, it's not exactly with him, but with the chocolatier," replied Rama.

"You mean…Chef Andi?" asked Uco. Rama nodded before he winced.

"Oh," he blinked, "You don't know? He's my brother," explained Rama.

Uco gasped in front of the oven when he heard Rama. It was too hard to believe that a senior who taught him about chocolate was blood-related with the lecturer that he was annoyed of, who always keenly criticized his works in class.

* * *

"I know," said Alicia. Keiichi nodded to approve it, while Uco was dumbfounded.

They were all in Bangun's house to prepare for the night job, like checking the shotguns and wiping the hammers in weapon storage room in the first floor, and Uco had just told them about relationship between Rama and Andi.

"What the hell?" he said, "How did I miss this?"

"Well, it's not like I know that much," replied Alicia, "I only know that Chef Andi has a brother who's a chocolate student, not his name or even his year," she wiped one of her claw hammers with a small cloth.

"That Rama guy is actually quite popular," added Keiichi, "He was the only one who passed exchange student test last year, but apparently he extended his stay overseas," he sat on a small couch in the storage room before he checked his Browning BPS shotgun. Uco glanced.

"Anyway where's your own shotgun? Who says you can borrow ours?" he quipped suddenly.

"Geez, this is mine!" countered Keiichi, "I forgot to bring it home yesterday because Dad kept calling me to get some ingredients," he said.

Uco snatched the shotgun from Keiichi, checked it, and returned it again. He sighed.

"What makes you uneasy?" asked Alicia before she picked her dual hammers and took a seat on another couch across Keiichi's.

"Nothing," replied Uco, "It's just…too unexpected."

He was still shocked of the fact that Rama and Andi were brothers, since they did not look alike each other at all, except the scent of chocolate that he always smells whenever they were around. Chocolate department was a department with the least number of students and lecturers, apparently because the difficulty rate in its subjects was higher than in the other departments.

"Ah, you're being overrated," mocked Keiichi, "You just never look around because you're too busy looking at Eka all this time," he crossed his legs relaxed on the couch.

Uco was flustered as his cheeks flushed, "WHAT?!" he yelled, "What the fuck, how do you-," he looked at Alicia, "Al, how could you-,"

"I did nothing," Alicia raised both hands, while Uco looked at Keiichi again with panic face.

"It's quite obvious, Uco boy," Keiichi chuckled, satisfied to see Uco blush and got panic, "All your gesture, the way you look at him-,"

"SHUT UP!" Uco moved towards Keiichi and shut his mouth with his right palm, while Keiichi laughed harder with shut mouth as he held his stomach. Uco glared but Keiichi was not scared at all.

It has always been like that all their lives, they mocked on each other, threatened each other, yet they were never afraid of each other.

Finally Uco took his palm off Keiichi's face and snorted, while Keiichi kept laughing. He looked at Keiichi and Alicia alternately before he took a deep breath. His mind was blown into the night when Eka told him how he always worried about him and Alicia because he deemed them as his real siblings.

"Let's go," he walked to a desk where he put his shotgun.

"Aww, don't take it too seriously," Alicia persuaded, "You two really never changed."

"Yeah, no need to worry," Keiichi added, "You're always around him, even partnered with him, everything will be fine," he said.

Alicia did not comment and shrugged instead.

"It's not like that," Uco stared at them both, "But I got to get over him. Soon. Now."

He turned around and walked off the room.

* * *

Two men suddenly appeared from the darkness not long after Uco and Eka stepped on Menteng area, that makes them stand back to back right away. One man punched Uco's face but Uco caught his arm earlier. He kicked than man's stomach with his knee that makes him staggered, before he stood properly and attacked with a kick to Uco's jaw. Uco held it with his arm and pulled his shotgun from his back to hit that man's head harshly with its stock. While that man fell down, Uco cocked the shotgun and aimed its muzzle at that man's head.

"Leave, or I'll blow your brain away," he threatened coldly, "Choose. Now."

Meanwhile Eka aimed his bowgun to his opponent the same way, apparently he had successfully beat him down as well.

"Three seconds passed," he said, not less coldly than Uco, "You gave us no choice."

"Wait!" Uco's opponent screamed in panic before he backed off and walked away. His friend hopelessly followed him. Uco and Eka both took a deep breath jointly before they turned their back and stood face to face.

"Let's go," said Eka. Uco nodded. They both walked again around Menteng area but only found some of Bangun's people who were guarding some spots, who did not appear when Uco and Eka were attacked because they were restricted to leave their spots. Until almost two hours passed and they still did not find any more attackers.

They walked to the car in silence. Since the last one hour, something bothered Uco. He recalled the last of their patrol days as he rolled his eyes before he suddenly stopped walking near their car.

"Hey," he still rolled his eyes. Eka turned his head.

"What?" he asked. Uco looked at Eka with odd gaze.

"It's been a week," he said, "Where's the baseball bat kid?"

* * *

It was 4PM and Le Ciel was not too crowded that day. Rama pulled out a brass of some animal-shaped chocolates from the refrigerator in the kitchen and put it on an empty table. He smiled to see his chocolates were shaped perfectly, as well as he was still happy because finally Bejo approved them to be sold at the shop.

"How glossy," praised Andi when he passed behind Rama and stopped by to check, "Your tempering ability is improved, as expected from chocolate artists' son," teased him.

Rama chuckled. They were both at work, wearing Le Ciel chocolatier uniform, which were light brown chef jacket and hat, combined with dark brown pants and waist apron.

"And as expected from a certified chocolatier's younger brother, huh?" teased Rama.

Andi laughed, "That's one unexpected feedback," he pat Rama's shoulder, "Now go bring them to the display box, it will attract kids."

Rama nodded and arranged the chocolates on a tray before he walked out the kitchen. When he was walking to the chocolate display box, he was surprised of what he saw in the diner.

Uco was there as he promised, since this morning he received a text from Rama about the approved molded chocolates. Yet he was not alone. There were also his sister, Alicia, and Very.

Rama put the chocolates in the display box quickly and wiped his hands on the apron before he walked to Uco's table.

"Hey," he smiled, "Thanks for coming."

"Just keeping a promise," Uco smirked, "Is the chocolate ready now?" he asked.

Rama winced as he was confused with Uco's question, but then he realized that apparently when Uco arrived he tried to order the molded chocolate but the waiter said that it was not ready yet.

"Yeah, just a moment ago," replied Rama, "Surprise, the first buyer is not a kid as expected," he joked. Uco chuckled, and so did Alicia and Very.

"Oh," said Uco, "Ram, this is Alicia, my sister, and our friend Very," he introduced his companions.

Rama was amazed yet he tried to hide it by shaking hands with Alicia and Very alternately, as he stared meaningfully at Very, who smiled timidly.

"What dept are you in?" asked Rama to Alicia and Very.

"Pastry," replied Alicia, "I'm glad to know another chocolate student," she smiled friendly.

"Sugarcraft," replied Very. Rama took a deep breath and smiled.

"Well, I'll get the molded chocolate now," he said, "Have you ordered another?"

"Yeah, Al ordered puddings as usual," replied Uco, "Anyway bring me the famous pannacotta too, please. You, Very?" he asked Very, who was reading menu book.

"Um…maybe lava cake and two chocolate macarons," replied Very.

"Such sweet tooth," teased Rama, since those three guests ordered more than one sweets, "Please wait," he walked to the display box after he stopped a waitress to write and get the rest orders. He glanced at the table again and smiled.

He was happy for Very to be acknowledged as a friend by Uco and Alicia.


	6. Chapter 6

**[Author's Note]** Hello from the other month.

Whenever I upload a new chapter after some centuries, sometimes I think that the readers and subscribers already forgot that this story exists because I do too :))

What do I have today? I will not be reasoning as always no more, I know I took too long to update this. And for your information too, I haven't written any new chapters yet. I really don't know what to do. So if someday this story reaches a chapter then I don't update it in a long time, you know what happens :))

Lately I am kinda addicted collecting Funko Pop figures, well because I happen to keep contact with a seller in Tokopedia and he gives me nice discounts like each month, making me almost penniless. I am collecting Marvel's Avengers because I've been in the fandom since Iron Man's first movie and the two main characters of Zootopia just because I fell in love right away with them and the movie. Speaking about Funko Pop, I've been thinking since The Raid 2 was aired about why don't they make The Raid 2 character figures? If they make it, I will buy them all. Like, really. I will spend all my money to have those cute chibi figures of Uco and Rama even until Prakoso and The Assassin. I will buy Sergeant Jaka and Mad Dog as well.

Like hell they will make it :))

Well, rather than waiting for Funko Pop to make figures they will never make, why don't you just make the new chapters of this story? *talking to myself*

* * *

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films **

**Wonderwall © Oasis **

* * *

Rama washed his hand on a washstand at male staff toilet in Le Ciel. He just finished displaying some more molded chocolates before he went to the toilet, because it turned out that the first chocolates were sold quite quickly, probably because the price was still low.

"Hey," he saw Very just walked in the toilet and closed the door. Very was indeed deemed as a staff in Le Ciel, that he was free to use staff toilet.

"Hi," replied Very, "Busy?"

"Pretty much," replied Rama, "My chocolates were nearly sold out!" he dried his hands under the dryer machine. Very chuckled.

"Of course," he praised, "They're delicious."

"Thanks," said Rama, "Still into lava cake and macarons, huh?" he chuckled.

Very laughed. Rama remembered well that lava cake and chocolate macarons were first launched by Andi in Le Ciel when Very entered high school, and since then they became Very's favorite. He was also aware that Very only pretended reading the menu, as if it was his first visit in Le Ciel, because he was with Uco and Alicia.

"Finally, you have friends," said Rama as he stared at Very.

"Yeah, they're…good people," Very shrugged timidly before they stared at each other.

Rama understood what Very wants to tell him about it, since he felt the same way. Uco and Alicia were indeed their enemies. They are Bangun's son and daughter, whom they beat down on their first battle at night. But the more they approached the twins, as ordered by their boss, the more they saw that the twins were good kids at the day.

"Um, did you invite Uco?" asked Very suddenly. Rama was startled.

"Yeah," he replied, "Did he tell you about that?" he leaned against the washstand.

Very nodded and smiled, "It's…not like you," he said. Rama winced.

"What?" he rolled his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"You never invited friends before," replied Very innocently.

"Huh?" Rama furrowed his eyebrow, "Well…I don't sell my own chocolates like since long ago."

Very shook his head, "But you're proud of your brothers' works, right?" he asked before he chuckled and walked into one of three empty chambers at the toilet.

* * *

After advanced cacao beans roasting class was finished, Rama and Andi stayed longer in a chocolatory in the second floor of chocolate department building. It was already 3PM and nearly all classes in the campus were finished. The chocolatory is a laboratory made specially to bake chocolates, which temperature was set necessarily.

"So, you ready?" asked Andi as he tempered liquid chocolates that he just liquefied from cacao beans. Rama sighed.

"Maybe," he poured some liquid red cherry to a bowl of liquid chocolate.

"Don't say 'maybe', Ram," said Andi, "You've extended your study in Belgium because of the silat championship, failure must not be something that Chef Bangun would tolerate," he stared at his younger brother while his hand kept skillfully tempering without any errors.

Rama whisked the chocolate as he smiled at Andi. No matter how many times he saw his older brother tempering correctly without looking, he would always be amazed. He remembered how Andi never stop studying about chocolate since he first realized that their parents baked chocolates.

"Rather than that," he said, "Don't you think we better stop approaching the twins?" he asked.

"What?" Andi was startled, "What are you saying? Of course we can't!" he yelled.

"They're good kids, Brother," Rama stared at Andi's eyes as his hand kept whisking chocolate, "Why should I keep being their friends undercover?" he asked.

Andi snorted, "Oh, I see," he mocked, "Your emotion consumes you. As expected from a little kid."

"It's not like that!" Rama snapped.

"Then what?" asked Andi as he stopped tempering and poured the liquid chocolate to an aluminum bowl.

Rama did not respond. He was confused of what to say, since he was in between some feelings. Since Uco came to Le Ciel, he kept thinking of Very's words in their toilet conversation. Very got the point. He was always proud of Andi's works all the time and none of the chocolate products in Le Ciel that he dislikes, yet never in his lifetime he invited a friend or anyone else to visit Le Ciel to give them a try. Never he ever thought to promote the famous best-selling pralines or even his own favorite sacher torte.

But it was never the same thing when it comes to Uco. He easily invited him to try even his first creation for Le Ciel as if he was used to do it before.

Rama only continued whisking before he pulled a chocolate bar mold and poured the chocolate into it.

"Hey, listen," Andi walked closer as he whisked his chocolate, "We need Menteng area, Ram. Because I don't want our renewed Morceau de Chocolat built in a remote area."

Rama quit pouring the chocolate and put the bowl on the table without speaking.

He nodded.

* * *

Alicia walked with Keiichi, doing their patrol around Menteng area. They did not stop chuckling as their conversation was going on.

"So, Eka can't assist Uco tonight because…,"

"Yeah!" Keiichi chuckled, "Dad seems aware of what happens between them."

Alicia giggled hard, "Whoa," she said, "Seriously? I think Ryuuichi is quite cool to show his feelings or what, but Uncle Goto noticed?"

"That's the point, Al," Keiichi still chuckled as he put his shotgun on his left shoulder, "Dad sees how his cool son cooperates very well with Eka, which never succeed with anyone else. Bet me a hundred US Dollars, soon they will breed a fruit pie or such."

Alicia burst to laughter while Keiichi chuckled hard. Since they were kids, they had always been best friends, as well as they are good partners in the underworld. Not only because they both love cakes deadly, which is the reason why they chose pastry department, Alicia always liked Keiichi for every laughter they shared whenever they were together.

"How 'bout you, Al?" asked Keiichi after Alicia finished laughing, "It works out?"

Alicia shrugged, "Not like what you expect," she replied, "The last thing I did was giving him my pound cake, then that's all."

Keiichi sighed as he pat Alicia's head. He knew that Alicia had grown feelings for Bejo since her first year and he supported her.

"Come on, it's not like I'm in deep despair," Alicia punched Keiichi's stomach slowly, "Hey, you know what? I met a sugarcraft student, first year, who's great in doing caramels!"

Keiichi narrowed his eyebrows, "Huh?" he asked, "Caramels is basic for sugarcraft, what's special about it?"

"He made carousel with caramels," replied Alicia. Keiichi furrowed his eyebrow.

"What?! Carousel? First year student?" he was surprised, "You gotta be kidding me."

Alicia nearly started to explain further right when they heard the sound of people punching each other. They quit talking and ran quickly to where the sound came and they peeked from behind a wall.

"Uco…,"

"Sssh," Keiichi covered Alicia's mouth with his hand, "Hold on."

They watched Uco was fighting with a man under a hood, whose face was covered with mask. As she was watching, Alicia paid closer attention to Uco's opponent. She tried to recall where she ever saw a man whose posture and image resemble him.

"It's odd," said Keiichi, "His opponent looks like holding back."

"Yeah…," Alicia kept on looking at Uco's opponent, who throws many fists that Uco could shove easily. Surprisingly, he ended the battle with his strong kick on Uco's right waist that makes Uco stagger before he quickly ran away.

"Hey, wait!" Uco tried to stand tall to chase after his opponent, but he lost him in a minute. He ran faster than expected. After looking around to make sure Uco was really alone, Alicia and Keiichi came off their hiding place towards him.

"You okay?" Alicia grabbed Uco's right arm. Uco was startled to see his sister and Keiichi.

"Yeah," he replied as he tried to stand properly, "You?" he asked.

"We didn't meet anyone," replied Keiichi, "Looks like your opponent was not serious."

"Which is odd," added Uco impulsively, "He was strong, but he held back. I have no idea."

Alicia linked her arm with Uco's as she was still trying to recall about Uco's opponent. She rolled her eyes for five seconds before someone appeared in her mind.

It was the same man who knocks Uco down only with a single punch back then.

* * *

Alicia whisked her dough on the stove slowly as she stared nowhere. Her mind was full of the person who fights with Uco last night. She was curious, but at the same time she had no idea how she could recognize the same person.

"Alicia?"

Someone waved his palm in front of her eyes, but she did not blink. The more she thought, the more she lost the clues that she expected.

"Hey, Alicia," that person was still waving, "How's your work?" he finally asked.

Alicia was startled and suddenly woke off her reverie. She shook her head and found Bejo standing before her.

"A-ah…," she whisked the dough in the saucepan faster, "Y-yes, Chef?" she asked nervously as she silently cursed herself for daydreaming in the middle of baking class. She was indeed in advanced pudding and flan baking class, one of some classes that Bejo handles, which current subject was custard panna cotta.

"What's going on?" asked Bejo, "It's not like you, daydreaming during class?"

"No, nothing, Chef," she shook and smiled, "I'm not going to lose to your panna cotta," she giggled. Bejo chuckled as he shook.

"I think it's not right now, Al," he said, and Alicia winced, "You whisked the dough too slowly before, I think you won't make the right mousse. I hope this won't happen in mid-test, okay?"

"I-I'm sorry…," Alicia looked down. She was ashamed of talking too much about beating Bejo's panna cotta, which she knows exactly was a best-selling menu in Le Ciel, yet she even lost concentration when whisking the dough. She silently cursed the person who fights with Uco, who fills her mind with curiosity.

She whisked her dough faster as she gritted her teeth.

* * *

She wiped sweats on her forehead for she did not know how many times. There had been ten portions of custard panna cotta on the kitchen table. Alicia was practicing in a kitchen at sugarcraft department building since two hours ago, and none of the panna cottas that she bakes satisfied her. Again, she grabbed cream and custard and heat them in a saucepan before she whisked them fast.

"C'mon…," she kept on whisking while wishing for this one panna cotta to appear as good as Bejo's that she tastes back in class. She was still ashamed of what happened in class, but on the other side she was mad at Uco's opponent and all that she can do to express her mixed feeling is cooking.

"O-ouch…," suddenly her right hand that she uses for whisking felt painful, but she kept on whisking quickly. She put all the concentration to the dough as she tried hard to bear the pain until she did not realize that somebody has walked in the kitchen.

"Al-,"

"ARGH!" she dropped her whisk as she could not bear the pain anymore and nearly fell on her knees, before somebody caught her at the right time.

"Y-you okay?" asked the person who caught her. Alicia looked up and found Very before her eyes. Startled, she tried to stand on her own feet.

"S-sorry," she panted, "Thanks, Ver-,"

"You have cramp, right?" Very raised his hand to touch Alicia's wrist without letting her go, but she screamed again because he touched right at the painful part, "Ah, sorry," he awkwardly pulled his hand again and reached the stove to turn off the fire. He brought Alicia to the nearest empty table afterwards and picked her to be seated on it. Alicia was shocked.

"Wha-," she was speechless for a moment, "Very, I'm sorry…I was heavy, right? Ouch…," she felt the pain again.

Very shook hard as he reached Alicia's wrist and massaged it gently.

"Not at all," his eyes were focused on Alicia's wrist, "Sorry, this will hurt you a lot but please bear for a moment," he kept on massaging.

Alicia was startled for a moment before she screamed and groaned as she felt painful with the massage.

"I'll find bandage later, but you need this first aid," said Very, still massaging.

Alicia nodded as she began to stop panting. The pain was still lingering but the comfort in Very's touch soothes her. Somehow her free hand reached to caress his cheek and made him look up at her face.

"Thanks," she smiled, relieved, "A lot."

She had no idea of how all her anxieties about the class, the panna cotta, and even about Uco's opponent suddenly disappear as she watched Very's eyes. The way he went flustered when she thanked him was probably the most adorable thing she ever seen in life.

"I-it's nothing," he replied as he looked away. His cheeks were started turning red.

"You're quite skillful," said Alicia, "Are you doing some sport?" she asked. Very nodded quickly.

"W-well, let's bandage your wrist now," he said awkwardly, "I'll take you to clinic-,"

But before Very continued speaking, Alicia stood off the desk and wrapped her arms around him. The sweet scent of candy that she smelled on Very brought her peace. Her breath was back to normal somehow when she heard another heart beside hers was beating a little faster than normal.

"Please, just a second," she whispered gently as she closed her eyes and smiled peacefully.

* * *

Very was totally frozen. There was no way he could refuse such a sweet request from a hopeless girl that he had been thinking of lately.

He did not expect things to turn out this way when he only entered the kitchen in order to practice candy crafting. It was already noon, around 4PM, when students were usually already leaving. He was shocked to find Alicia inside, even more when he found her dropping her whisk and screaming while holding her right hand. He knew right away that she got a tenosynovitis, a cramp on wrist, and he spontaneously seated her on a desk to be massaged the way he got whenever he got cramp during his silat training with the baseball bat.

He could not do anything but to stand still and let Alicia hug him without he understands why. His heart was beating faster as he smelled custard scent from around Alicia's body, but at the same time he was relieved to hear her quit panting, which means that she does not feel the pain anymore.

"Did you just finish candy-related class?" asked Alicia suddenly, still hugging him.

"Y-yes," Very was startled, "Uh, it was basic candy crafting," he replied.

His heart was beating like crazy, but he did not feel like letting her go. Instead, her gentle voice made him wish that time would stand still forever.

"I know, right?" Alicia released him and looked at his eyes, "I smell candy on you," she smiled.

Very was stunned again. Although he always did each time he saw Alicia smiles sincerely. Before he blushed again, he tried to look at another place and his eyes caught some panna cottas on the table.

He remembered Bejo right away and suddenly he felt cold wind blows inside his chest.

"Oh," Alicia looked at the table, "Oh, dear, I messed with those panna cottas, I'll clean it-,"

"I'll do it," said Very as he walked to the nearby cupboard to get some small plastic boxes and put all those panna cottas inside one by one. He tried to distract himself from thinking of how much Alicia falls in love with his boss until she baked the same dish with Bejo's best selling dish in Le Ciel, but he could not erase the anxiety that he did not understand.

"Thanks, oh…wow," said Alicia, "You're good at packaging," she watched Very working.

"Well, I…practiced," replied Very as he kept on packaging.

He surely could not tell Alicia that he has been learning about food packaging even since before he was hired by Bejo. After finishing his job, he put all those boxed panna cottas in a paper bag he found in the cupboard. He continued with cleaning up the desk and stove.

"Hey, can't I at least help?" asked Alicia, "It was all my job-,"

"No, no," Very shook as he washed the saucepan, "Stay there, I'll take you to clinic after this. Please wait, okay?" he begged as he turned off the sink and wiped the saucepan before he put it back to the cupboard.

"…okay," replied Alicia, almost inaudibly.


	7. Chapter 7

**[Author's Note]** Hello hello!

I just attended Indonesia Comic Con for the sake of seeing my OTPs on stage, although they were in two different movies. I was still amazed to see Arifin, Iko, Julie, and Very but doesn't mean I'm satisfied seeing Arifin sitting with other people in his own movie panel. I wish I could take their picture in a frame, though.

But seeing Iko and Very performing the silat moves on stage, man, that was perfect. Gotta make it a fanfiction scene someday.

Anyway, since I have found two shippers (of Uco and Rama) beside me, I made a group chat to talk about, of course, them. I am planning to hold a gathering once the member hits at least 10, so, anyone who reads my The Raid fanfictions and turns out shipping Uco and Rama, please immediately contact me in the comment tab. You must leave your e-mail address, so I can contact you back. I am seriously looking for these shippers who still ship them until they read this message. Because I still do. Endlessly do.

Well, regarding the story, I really love Alicia's trait in this chapter when she was angry. I mean, like, I am totally proud to finally bring out that kind of trait out of a cheerful character. Imagining Julie pouting and furrowing her eyebrows during that period seems lovely.

Okay, hope you have a nice time reading and don't forget to review! :3

* * *

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films **

**Hero © Jessie J  
**

* * *

It was already 4.30 PM and there were nearly no students at the campus. Very was bandaging Alicia's wrist in the campus clinic. As he was focused with his job, Alicia, who was sitting on one of the beds, used her free hand to reach a paper bag next to her and took one panna cotta off it.

"It's really good," she said while gazing at the panna cotta, "You'll get A for packaging."

"Do you like Chef Bejo that much?"

"Huh?"

"Eh?" Very was startled with his own question and shook quickly, "Ah, sorry, p-please forget it," he continued bandaging. Alicia giggled.

"It's not about him right now," she replied.

"So, what happened?" asked Very as he finished with the bandage and put back the left bandage in the cupboard. He sat beside Alicia on the bed afterwards.

"Well, in short, I made a mistake when whisking but I still told him that I won't lose to his panna cotta," she giggled pitifully, "As he expected, my result was terrible. The mousse was clotted everywhere, I gotta say that panna cotta is one difficult stage of flan."

"Um…can I try it?" asked Very as he glanced at the panna cotta in Alicia's hands

"Really?" asked Alicia in return, "But they're not perfect anymore," she winced.

Very nodded without any doubts to convince her, that she ended up giving him the dessert. He opened the box lid, slice the panna cotta, and put the piece in his mouth.

"How's it?" asked Alicia when Very munched.

"It's…," Very swallowed, "Not that bad. The mousse needs to be more solid, maybe you whisked too fast?" he asked.

Alicia rolled her eyes and nodded.

"You need to whisk the cream smoothly, not too fast but not slow as well. The more you practice, the more you'll get your rhythm, but don't force yourself," Very glanced timidly and smiled.

"Thanks, Ver," said Alicia, "Surprise, you know quite a lot about panna cotta, are you used to bake it?" she asked.

Very was startled for a second. He just realized that talking too much about baking panna cotta with anyone, who only knows him as a freshman in sugarcraft department, would only make them suspicious. He indeed explained according to what Bejo did when baking his famous raspberry panna cotta in Le Ciel kitchen.

"Um, yeah…," he looked away, "A-anyway, it's already 5PM, I'll call Uco to pick you up," he checked his wristwatch and stand off the bed as he took his cell phone from his pants pocket. He dialed Uco's number and after three dial tones it was picked up.

"What's up, Ver?" asked Uco on the phone.

"Uh…where are you now?" Very asked in return.

"Panko," replied Uco, he sounded in hurry, "I'm helping out, it's freakin' busy here."

"Oh…," Very was stunned. Panko was one of some bread stores owned by Bangun and Goto, which mostly were in charge under Goto's control. He already got some information that as a bread department student and Bangun's son, Uco had a privilege to train himself there or even to help out when it was on busy hours and ran out of bakers.

"What's going on?" asked Uco again.

"Uh, it's…Alicia got cramp on her wrist, can't you pick her on campus?" replied Very.

"Oh, my," Uco sighed, "Is she okay now? Tck, she must be forcing herself baking something without rest," he sounded angry and worry at the same time.

Very chuckled. He always enjoyed seeing how these twins care about each other.

"She's okay, I've bandaged her wrist," he replied, "So, can't someone pick her up?"

"…why don't you walk her home?" suggested Uco suddenly. Very was startled.

"Huh?" he said after three seconds of being speechless.

"Yeah, just get a taxi and bring her home," replied Uco again.

"Oh," Very blinked twice, "I-is that…okay?" he asked again.

"Sure thing," replied Uco, still sounded in hurry, "If anyone I can entrust Alicia with, you're one of them. Just go ahead, I'm busy, okay?" he turned off the phone without waiting for Very's answer.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me home, Ver," said Alicia before she put her tea cup back on the guest room table with her left hand, "Sorry I forgot to tell you that Uco is helping in Panko today."

"It's nothing," Very shook, "This tea is very delicious," he gazed at his teacup curiously.

"Oh, Keiichi taught us how to make it," said Alicia, "Then my father taught all the maids about it. Ah, Keiichi is my and Uco's friend since we were little, he's in pastry department like me."

"I think I know him," Very rolled his eyes, "The Japanese, right?" he asked, and Alicia nodded. He remembered Bejo ever mentioned about one of Goto's sons who studies in pastry department. A quite skillful sniper who bakes good moist cakes, Bejo said.

They continued talking as they had the tea and cookies served by the maids in the guest room. Following Uco's instruction, Very ended up walking Alicia home with a taxi. Their house was surprisingly a medium sized one built in Darmawangsa, an area in South Jakarta. He did not know about this house before because neither Bejo nor Andi ever instructed him to investigate, but he knew how lucky he is by getting a chance to visit Bangun's house without any force.

Suddenly a sound of car engine was heard from outside the door. Not long afterwards, the front door was opened and Bangun entered the house.

"Dad?" Alicia was surprised, "How unusual, you're at home this soon," she got off her couch to give a hug to her father.

Meanwhile, Very was shocked. He did not expect that Bangun would come home when he was there, knowing how busy he was handling his business, the academy, and the underworld. He was flustered and all he could do was looking down at the table, afraid that Bangun might sense that he is someone from his enemy's side.

"You got cramp again?" Bangun reached Alicia's bandaged right hand, "Such a stubborn cook, now what did you bake non-stop for hours?" he asked.

"It's panna cotta, Dad," replied Alicia regretfully.

"What? It's an easy dessert," Bangun pinched Alicia's cheek jokingly before he looked at the guest room and saw Very, "Oh, you bring a friend?" he asked. Alicia nodded.

"He's Very, Dad, from sugarcraft department," she replied, "He helped taking care of my cramp and walked me home. Ever heard of him, probably?"

Without answering his daughter's question, Bangun walked to the guest room followed by Alicia. Very could not stop himself from trembling, but he stood up for courtesy and bowed down slightly before Bangun.

"Hello," Bangun smiled and reached his hand to shake with Very's.

"Hi, Chef," replied Very. He smiled nervously.

"No need to be so formal," Bangun smiled again, "Thanks for helping Alicia. If I'm not mistaken, Isa ever mentioned about a quiet freshman who makes a carousel with caramels in a quiz weeks ago, might it be you?" he asked curiously.

Very nodded timidly. He indeed crafted caramels into a small carousel when Isa gave sudden quiz in basic caramel crafting class, and he remembered how amazed Isa was when she looked at his creation. None of the other students crafted anything more complicated within less than two hours the way he did, but he did not expect that such news would reach the rector.

"You still have a long way to go, but it's a good news," said Bangun, "Mind showing me how you craft in my kitchen?" he offered.

Very was shocked and shook right away.

"What? O-oh, no, Chef," he rejected, "I can't mess with anyone else's kitchen, and-and…it's already late, so…,"

"Aw, come on, Ver," Alicia walked to him and pat his arm, "This is a rare chance, you can craft under the rector's supervision directly. Right, Dad?" she asked her father, who nods without any doubt.

Very went speechless. He was confused that everything happened beyond his expectation that day, but on the other side he really wanted Bangun to supervise him with his crafting skill.

"U-uh… well," Very scratched his arm nervously, "Please help with the guidance," he bowed.

"Good answer," said Bangun, "Al, take him to the kitchen, I'll see you there soon."

That way, Very followed Alicia to the kitchen and could not stop his jaw from dropping when he saw the comfortable-looking huge kitchen. Nearly all baking tools were there, even there were some ovens with different temperature. He surely ever saw another perfect kitchen in Bejo's house and in Le Ciel, but none of those were as big as this one. He could tell that everything in that kitchen was old, but they were treated in good care that they looked like new.

"Well, then," Bangun, who already got changed, suddenly appeared when Very was still amazed, "Why don't you get something? Caramel or candy, choose anything you want to bake and craft."

"Yes, Chef!" replied Very enthusiastically before he put on an apron that Alicia gave him.

* * *

It was around 9PM that day. Uco patrolled around Sabang area, another strategic area under his father's control. He just split up with Alicia some minutes ago, and that night there were only two of them patrolling because both Eka, Ryuichi, and Keiichi were helping the busy Fruitful and Delight.

He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed and he had not seen anything suspicious, although the fact that the area was quite silence concerned him. He took his phone from his leather jacket pocket to dial his sister's number, but before he touched the screen, he heard the sound of the dragged iron rod.

"There you are…," he whispered. He had been wondering lately of where the baseball bat kid go, since he had not seen him during the last patrols, and now he appeared right in front of him. Just like when they first met, he wore a jacket with hood that covered his face. The difference was he was also wearing the same kind of mask worn by Uco's other opponent who was holding back the attacks.

"Is the mask a new uniform of your group or what?" Uco snorted.

The baseball bat kid did not answer, instead he quickly ran at Uco and wielded his baseball bat at him. Uco dodged and kicked him, but he could ward it with a kick as well. Again, he hit with the bat and Uco held it with his arm. They kept on fighting each other, none of them succeeded knocking another down but Uco realized that something was wrong.

This baseball bat kid was holding back, just like the other guy.

Uco ended the battle with a strong kick at the kid's stomach that makes him stagger a little. He stepped back.

"Who are you?" he asked, "What is your purpose?"

All this time he only did the patrols, fought all the opponents, and any necessary things that his father ordered without asking. But this time it was different. He was curious because both the baseball bat kid and the other guy obviously held back their attacks, as if they had a doubt when fighting him, which was something that his previous opponents never did.

"Are you deaf or mute?" asked Uco, again.

But instead of answering him, the baseball bat kid clenched his grip on the baseball bat once before he lowered it and ran away.

"What the—hey, wait, Asshole!" Uco chased him, but the baseball bat kid was apparently a fast runner, that he lost him soon. He stopped running at the corner of an empty big street and was catching his breath when he coincidentally looked right and found Alicia standing tall, gripping tight her two hammers. Someone was lying on the ground in front of her, trying to get up. Uco walked closer to them and found that the person that Alicia just knocked down was his opponent from before, the other guy who was holding back.

"ANSWER ME!" Alicia yelled as she bended on a knee and wielded one of her hammers to the guy, but he successfully dodged it with his arm before he stood up. He tried to run away but he did not make it fast, since his body was all hurtful because of Alicia's attacks, so Alicia chased after him right away. Uco followed them, and right when Alicia almost caught that guy, someone else pulled and picked him on his back before he ran fast.

It was the baseball bat kid.

* * *

Uco watched Alicia pressing 1-1-2-3-5 on the elevator buttons. They just finished advanced chocolate theory class and were heading to the underground base in the academy to meet their father and Goto, who summon them through text message when they were in class.

Alicia walked off the elevator once it reached the underground floor, followed by Uco, and tapped the same numbers on the door panel. Since last night, they did not talk to each other yet. Uco felt a little lonely since he was longing for his sister's cheerfulness, but at the same time he understood that this time Alicia really was mad. He knew that she was not satisfied enough only by beating her opponent because her opponent ran away without answering her question. And he knew right away that she must have been asking the same question with the one that he asked the baseball bat kid.

They entered the room after the door was automatically opened and soon took a seat on the empty couch. There had been Bangun and Goto there, sitting relaxed.

"So, how was it, Kids?" asked Bangun as he looked alternately at his twins.

"We expected to hear from you last night," added Goto, "But I heard that you two didn't want to see anyone, and the maids said you don't want to be disturbed. What happened?" he asked.

Goto was right. Last night after the battle, they went home right away and locked themselves in their own bedrooms after telling the maids not to disturb them because they wanted to get some rest. Just like Alicia, Uco was also upset about his failure in getting information from the baseball bat kid that he did not want to see anyone last night, although he was not as mad as his sister.

"Well, this opponent right now is…," replied Uco after waiting for Alicia to answer but she did not say a thing in the end, "…weird. They were exactly the same duo who knock us down in our first patrol, but lately we rarely met them, and once we met them we knew that they were holding back," he said.

"Doesn't mean I've forgiven him for beating your head back then, Co," added Alicia suddenly. Her face looked stiff, showing how she was trying hard to hold her anger.

"Huh?" Uco was dumbfounded, "Hey, why so serious? We've been many fights and I've been knocked down many times by many people but you didn't react this way," he was confused.

"The thing is he knocked you down with just a single blow, and when he met you again he didn't fight seriously!" Alicia hit the couch with her right fist, which was already recovered from cramp, "Then what did he hit you for? Fun?!" she glared at Uco and snapped, "And worse, I lost him before getting the information I wanted."

"Chill, Al," said Bangun, who was quite surprised of both the report and Alicia's reaction, "So, if they were holding back, it should've been easy for you two to knock them down, no?" he asked.

Both Uco and Alicia sighed and shook at the same time.

"No, Dad," replied Uco, "They were still as strong, and surprisingly the baseball bat kid is a fast runner. He ran from us bringing the other guy on his back, yes, he was that strong."

"Ugh, I'm totally in between," Alicia threw her back to the couch and massaged her forehead with two fingers, "I'm too lazy doing patrols if they're not serious, but I also really want to beat that guy to death with my own hammers. Dad, Uncle Goto, please just give us some firm orders," she begged, although it sounded more like an order.

Uco nodded to support her. He knew his sister was right, that they need further obvious order from their father so that they can finish their job quickly. But instead of replying Alicia, Bangun checked his watch and rolled his eyes for some seconds before he looked at Goto.

"Hey, when is the menu presentation?" he asked.

"It's tomorrow after school," replied Goto as he also checked his watch.

"DAD!" both Uco and Alicia yelled because their father ignored them. Bangun and Goto were surprised before they chuckled and nodded.

"Sorry, sorry, Kids," replied Bangun, "Well, the thing is don't kill these two guys before they speak to you. You can do anything to them, and if their lips are still sealed, bring them to us right away. Do I make myself clear?" he asked.

Uco and Alicia nodded firmly before they stood off the couch to go back to academy because they still had class. But after they walked some steps, Uco stopped as he overheard the conversation between the rector and the head of bread department.

"It's Rama from senior class, right? The top student in chocolate department," said Goto.

"Yeah," said Bangun, "I can't wait to see his creation after his extended stay in Belgium."

* * *

**WANTED: SHIPPERS OF UCO AND RAMA**

**contact me in the comment tab and please leave e-mail address**


	8. Chapter 8

**[Author's Note]** Hello hello!

Since I was born with bad memory, I think I need to write down a reminder about each department in St. Infinity Baking Academy, along with the person in charge and the students.

**Pastry Department**

Head: Prakoso

Vice-Head: Bejo

Students: Alicia, Keiichi, Dwi

**Bread Department**

Head: Goto

Vice-Head: Jaka

Students: Uco, Ryuuichi

**Sugarcraft Department**

Head: Wahyu

Vice-Head: Isa

Students: Very, Eka

**Chocolate Department**

Head: Tama

Vice-Head: Andi

Students: Rama

I must remind myself as well that Alicia and Uco's house is in Darmawangsa, Rama's apartment is in Warung Buncit, and Very's flat is in Pasar Minggu. I probably confuse everyone since I first wrote that Alicia and Uco live in Tebet, but let's ignore it because I want them to live in Darmawangsa instead lol.

Anyway, I've just watched Headshot and The Professionals, they really bring back memories. Iko's role in Headshot was truly inspiring, especially when writing about him being angst, and I ship him with Very's role in that movie lol their dialog was so cute. Meanwhile, Julie's role was more emotional even though I like her actions better as Hammer Girl. On the other movie, Arifin's role was like an extension of his Uco of The Raid, like imagining when Uco finally being a boss. Still, I can't move off The Raid yet. I even already designed new characters for new serial lol.

I am glad that I finished 2016 and started 2017 by finishing TWO one shots and continuing this story! YAY! My target this year is to finish this serial although I must struggle with school assignments and thesis as well, wish me luck ( T - T )

p.s: I'm uploading one of the two one-shots together with this chapter so please read it too.

* * *

**The Raid Saga © PT. Merantau Films **

**Say You Won't Let Go © James Arthur  
**

* * *

Uco opened the chocolatory door and found Rama there. He sighed. Since he left the underground quarter, he could not stop thinking about that senior student who would do a presentation tomorrow. He did not understand why, but even in advanced bread theory class that was just finished, he was fine sitting next to Eka and Ryuuichi. His mind was somewhere else during class, and that 'somewhere' was here in front of him.

He closed the door, thinking that Rama, who was busy tempering chocolate, would hear it and turn around but he did not. He kept on tempering. The sound of iron offset spatulas scratching marble table filled the lab like a melody following the scent of liquid chocolate. Afraid of breaking Rama's concentration, Uco knocked a refrigerator door repeatedly until finally Rama heard it and turned around

"Oh," he was startled, as well as Uco, "I didn't hear-,"

"Hey, what's wrong with your face?" asked Uco as he walked closer and grabbed Rama's left shoulder, "You…even your neck is bandaged, your face is bruised everywhere," he tilted his head. He was shocked finding Rama's hurtful face and bandaged neck, which he never seen before.

"Uh, I…," Rama looked away, "I had a rough silat training yesterday," he replied.

"What?!" Uco furrowed his eyebrow, "Even when you have important presentation tomorrow?"

"Yeah—wait, how did you know?" Rama was surprised.

"Who do you think I am?" Uco replied, "Of course my father told me."

"Oh, Dear," Rama chuckled, feeling stupid, "Yeah, sure. So, why are you here?" he asked.

Uco was dumbfounded.

_Why am I here?_

He only remembered he was thinking about Rama doing presentation tomorrow and it just simply brought him here.

"Well, whatever it is," said Rama, "I have to continue tempering, sorry," he took his spatulas again and started tempering.

Uco watched Rama's back for some seconds before he sighed and took his chef trainee uniform from his bag. He took off his plaid outer shirt and put the top uniform on. He wore the hat last before he put down his bag on an empty table and took a chocolate bar next to the marble table where Rama was tempering.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Rama as Uco started to chop the chocolate next to him.

"As you see, chopping chocolate," replied Uco without taking his eyes off the chocolate, "Just tell me if you want me to go," he continued chopping smoothly. Lately he found how easy chopping chocolate is, which was why he started to enjoy helping with baking chocolate breads back then in Panko.

The sound of iron spatulas scratching marble table was still echoing in the lab. It was echoing quite loud that Uco did not notice when Rama stared quite long at him-while his hands kept on tempering-and smiled.

He did not understand why, but Uco realized that the scent of chocolate was never sweeter before.

* * *

_"Please switch tonight," begged Very. _

_Rama was surprised. They were both in the underground camp of Le Ciel. Rama has taken off his chocolatier uniform and was almost taking his tee off too, but Very's words stopped him. _

_ "I can't do this," said Very, "I can't face Alicia tonight, so I'll handle Uco. But…,"_

_ "What happened?" asked Rama as he finally changed with a gray tee. He walked closer to Very to see clearer, and he was surprised seeing Very looks really hurt like never before. He knew Very was a shy kid who got bullied or abandoned by other people most of the time, but Very never really cared about it and Rama knew it more than anyone else._

_ "Hey, hey," he grabbed Very's shoulders, "What's wrong?" he asked._

_ "I don't even know whether I can really face Uco or not," replied Very before he sighed, "They—those father and kids, they're not like the other previous opponents. They really are like two sides of a coin."_

_ Rama was speechless. He knew exactly what Very means, and he thought of the same thing. The reason why he held back when fighting Uco nights ago was exactly just because Uco kept his promise to visit Le Ciel to buy the new chocolates. Such a simple thing that was carved deeply inside him._

_ "Uco said I was one of those he entrust his sister with," Very walked off and sat on a couch._

_ "Oh, dear," Rama was astonished, "They're trapped too easily." _

* * *

CRACK~!

Rama broke another hazelnut again as he was recalling his conversation with Very before the previous patrol. Tonight Bejo did not assign him for the patrol due to his presentation tomorrow that he spent the night practicing in his apartment kitchen. His apartment is a three-rooms one, located in Warung Buncit area, where he lived together with Andi. It was chosen by Andi by considering the short distance to their workplace, Le Ciel in Kemang.

"Sigh…," he sighed, but at the same time smiled foolishly. He was the one saying that the twins are trapped easily, even their father let Very work in his house kitchen without any doubts just because he helped Alicia with her cramp. But he knew things turned out differently on the field. He did not mean to hold back when he was fighting with Alicia, but he could not forget Very's hurtful eyes when he said how he wants to switch opponent.

Alicia was Very's first friend in the academy. That hammer girl might be his enemy, but at the same time he did not want to disappoint Very by hurting his first friend.

Along with such thought, he ended up fighting without meaning to hurt the girl or getting hurt himself, but he was all wrong. Alicia was in her best condition, even though Rama spotted her bandaged wrist. Tenosynovitis did not stop her rage when wielding dual hammers to Rama's face, neck, and the rest of his limb. Rama was an athlete who had entered many championships, but he never faced any stronger and angrier opponent than Alicia.

_She must be mad at me because I blew her brother's head._

The next second he recalled what happened in chocolatory again while stirring the mixed hazelnut pieces and tempered chocolate in a bowl. In the end he just let Uco practice chopping chocolate that gets better beside him, while he kept on tempering. They did not talk to each other until they were done and left the campus by saying farewell to each other. And that was just all.

Rama smiled and chuckled. He was aware that Uco stayed in the lab just to be by his side, accompanying him before the presentation day. And he did not hate it. He did not hate how tempering time never felt more enjoyable before.

He poured the mixed chocolate to a bar mold as an idea of a new mold crossed his mind.

* * *

The next morning in chocolate department, Rama was stepping upstairs with Andi to the chocolatory. He did not tell Andi that he changed the presented menu yet to prevent them from arguing that might happen and ruin his mood.

"I'll be watching from my desk," said Andi as he pat his brother's shoulder, "Good luck."

"I know, all vice heads will watch through Skype, right?" asked Rama, and Andi nodded.

It had been traditions that only the rector and four heads of each study department would be on the judge desk, while the vice heads would watch through video conference—Skype—as co-judges. Vice heads would give second opinions about the presentation, which would be considered by the judges to make a decision. Assignment of vice heads was held a week ago, and Andi was appointed. The others were Bejo for pastry department, Isa for sugarcraft department, and Jaka for bread department.

Rama opened the lab door and entered. Right across him were Bangun, Goto, Prakoso, and two lecturers who were doing research in Paris within two weeks ago and just arrived at Jakarta last night. They were Wahyu, head of sugarcraft department, and Tama, head of chocolate department. Seeing his own department head, Rama gulped. Tama was a famous chocolatier and he was strict when it comes to tempering and molding subjects. For a second Rama regretted his decision in changing menu. Before last night, he planned to present chocolate bar, which would not need molding technique.

But then he shook silently. He walked to the cooking table, where all his tools and ingredients were already prepared, took a deep breath and smiled to those lecturers.

"Good morning, Chefs," he bowed slightly before looking at each of their eyes, "Thank you for giving me this chance, I feel really honored. Today, I'm going to present a praline from scratch."

"You're welcome," replied Bangun, "Please go ahead."

Rama nodded and soon he took some cacao beans to be heated with a pan on the stove. He knew this presentation would take a lot of time, but he already confirmed that he was allowed to present anything. Chocolate department students were required to present any products from scratch in order to test their skills in processing cacao beans which they have learned since first year.

And when Rama was peeling the bean skin, Tama stood off his seat to look closer. All the judges were allowed to see any process of the presentation from a short distance, and it was what he did.

"Look closely," said Tama as he picked a bean, "You need to notice each bean, don't let any skin left before they were blended."

"Yes, Chef," replied Rama as he peeled the last bean cleanly. He took all the beans and poured them into a blender before he turned it on.

"Come on, Tam," said Bangun, "I can even see from here, no skins are left," he teased.

"I won't compromise, Chef," replied Tama, "This is chocolate."

"Nobody said it was cake, Chef Tama," joked Prakoso, "Besides, I'm not standing there."

Everyone laughed, even Rama chuckled. He was quite surprised that he felt relaxed by listening to those senior lecturers were joking with each other. Silently he thanked Bangun for starting to cheer the condition as he glanced at that rector.

"I'm going to temper the chocolate," he poured the chocolate to a marble table. Tama looked closely when the spatulas started to touch the liquid chocolate, but it did not make Rama nervous anymore. The sound of iron and marble colliding relaxed him instead, as if he was in the lab yesterday evening. Nobody chopped chocolate beside him now, but the echoing sound brought the memory that soothes him.

Hours passed and Rama was ready to mold the chocolate. He did not take any available molds on the desk, yet he took two plastic molds from his pants pocket.

"I made this mold last night with silicone plastique," he raised the molds to show them, "I tried to combine it with plain mold, and here it is."

It was a simple plain mold in square shape, consisting of eight holes, but in the base of each hole there had been around a millimeter of frozen silicone plastique. Rama poured the shining chocolate dough to it and put them in refrigerator. Minutes passed before he finally took the frozen chocolates. He pulled them off the mold and put them inside small boxes, each consists of three empty places, and wrapped them with a tiny brown ribbon.

"Of course," said Wahyu suddenly, "I remember giving you an A in packaging final test," he smiled. Rama was stunned for a moment before he smiled.

"Thank you, Chef," he said as he finished wrapping the last box. He put all the boxes on a tray and brought them to the judge desk. He gave a box to each judge and stepped back. The judges untied the ribbon together and unboxed the praline. For a moment, they winced and stared at each other.

"What is this C letter for?" asked Goto. Rama smiled.

"I'm going to answer after you taste it," he replied politely.

The praline he made was indeed a small plain square with C letter sculpted on it, which was made from the combined mold. All the judges bite the chocolate together and munched it, while the co-judges stared from the monitor.

"The red cherry softened the combined taste," commented Tama.

"But the solid hazelnut pieces strengthen the structure," added Bangun, "If it's a person, it's like someone with twisted personality."

"Gentle, but surprisingly strong inside," said Prakoso, "Personally, I like this," he smiled slightly.

"I'm giving high point for the packaging and combined mold," said Wahyu.

Rama could not help himself from gasping silently. He was excited that all those judges gave positive responds to his creation, and once again he was glad he changed the menu.

"So, can you explain about the C letter now?" asked Goto again. Rama nodded.

"C is for Chazel—cherry hazelnut praline—the name I picked for the menu. I was thinking to combine the mold to get that letter so that it would be easily recognized in the display fridge, that people would react like 'oh, today Chazel is available in store' and hopefully buy them," he explained.

All the judges nodded as they ate more of the chocolate and make some notes on their notepad. Co-judges were asked for comments afterwards and they give compliments to each Rama's technique and movements when cooking. The decision was obvious: Chazel was approved for café.

* * *

"Oh, the new chocolate!" Alicia pointed the display fridge in café.

It was lunch break after she finished advanced pie and tart theory class, and she was walking with Uco in the café to have brunch together. Two days passed since the new café menu was decided, and since yesterday Chazel had been displayed in café.

"After four years, Rama broke the record," said Uco, "It's still 10AM and there are only three Chazels left. You want some?" he asked.

He was right, chocolate department student did not present any new menu since four years ago and the reason was always the same: the participating student did not perform the processing-from-scratch perfectly. Meanwhile, rather than answering her brother's question, Alicia rolled her eyes.

"I'll be crying a river to see a second thought for Chazel."

Alicia and Uco both turned around and found Rama standing behind them with sad face. Surely not a real sad face, only a made-up one that makes them laugh.

"Still teaching, hum?" asked Uco.

Rama was wearing his chef trainee uniform because he was still teaching the café chefs about the recipe. Each student, whose presented menu was approved, was required to spend at least two weeks in café kitchen until he/she is convinced enough that the café chefs can handle the recipe properly.

"Yeah," replied Rama, "The chefs here are really slow, Chazel is easy-,"

"Oh, shut up, genius ass!" mocked Alicia and Uco jointly, now it made Rama laugh.

"Okay, then, I'll get them all," Alicia turned around again to the display and asked the waiter to get her the chocolates. She took the bill and almost walked back to those two guys, but she stopped after two steps.

She tilted her head when she saw some certain gaze between Uco and Rama. As if the atmosphere told her not to stand between them, Alicia smiled and took some steps back as she was giggling. She turned away when she bumped at someone.

"Whoa!"

"Ow!"

"Ah, Very, sorr—WHAT IS THAT?!" Alicia glared when she saw what Very brought. She was surprised at first to bump with Very, but she could not get less shocked when she found a bouquet of beautiful red roses made from candy inside a mica box.

"Y-yes…?" Very tilted his head, confused of Alicia's reaction. Hearing Alicia's loud voice, Uco and Rama who were in a conversation stopped chatting and walked closer to Alicia and Very.

"What's going on?" asked Uco. Alicia was startled to hear the brother's voice, and realized that she had unconsciously interrupted his conversation with Rama.

"Oh, no-nothing, eheheh," she pulled Very's shoulder and dragged him, "Take your time!"

She walked off the café with Very, leaving Uco and Rama dumbfounded behind.

* * *

**I'm still looking for Rama and Uco shippers. Please contact me through the message immediately or leave your e-mail address in the comment tab.**

**THANK YOU FOR READING**


	9. Chapter 9

**[Author's Note]** Hello! \o/

Yay! It's February already, almost three years since the first time The Raid 2 aired in Indonesia. It's almost three years too since I fell in love with Uco and the other characters and decided to give my life to this fandom.

When the writer's block hit me and led me to a long hibernation, I thought it was my moment to stop everything with this fandom. I thought I would never be able to continue this story, I thought I would never make more fan-arts, and I thought I would stop giving a damn about the characters in real life. Well, to think again, I started this story back in 2014 and this is already 2017 and it's still chapter 9! How slow, compared to Salvation Sanctuary.

Gosh, a shipper group member is totally being a brat, she shares an interview video of Arifin and Very, I can't be not distracted since I wrote a one-shot about them! And OMG THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER IN THAT INTERVIEW SHHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS okay stop.

Well, that was actually one of the examples I want to talk about. When I thought I already stopped loving this fandom, the universe, the nature always leads me back. Whenever I ran out of ideas to write fanfiction or make fan-art, the universe somehow brought me the ideas back, either by some people like the shipper group members, my fanfiction readers, the members of The Raid fanpage group in Facebook, sometimes by the characters in real life with their social media posts, or even by simple moments that happen around me.

Fyi, this fanfiction had just hit its 15th chapter draft and I hope things only got better. Amen.

* * *

**The Raid Saga © Gareth Evans **

**Give Me Love © Ed Sheeran  
**

* * *

After walking quite far from the café, Alicia and Very stopped in front of a classroom at bread department building. She took a deep breath.

"Um, Alicia?" asked Very, "Why are we here?"

"Oh," Alicia let go of Very's shoulder, "Well…,"

"Is something going on between you and Uco?" guessed Very, "Are you fighting?"

"No, no, of course not," Alicia shook, "It's just—I think we better don't interrupt them."

"Them?"

"Yeah, he and Rama," Alicia sat down on an empty bench there, "They look…comfortable with each other. Uco didn't tell me anything yet, but I'm glad he met someone like Rama," Alicia smiled happily, "You know what, my brother's temperament is bad, and usually people can't deal with him, that's why I'm relieved to see him finding someone who seems to see all of him."

She recalled what she saw at the café and smiled again. Somehow she knew she could entrust Uco with Rama, and on the other side she was glad that Uco has finally moved on from Eka. But suddenly she realized that Very did not respond to her, so that she looked up.

"Ver?" she asked. Very, who looks between dumbfounded and confused, was startled.

"Ah, y-yes," he replied.

"Did you listen?" Alicia winced. Very nodded quickly.

"I did," he replied and sat next to Alicia, "We can't interrupt Uco and Rama, right?"

"Yeah," said Alicia, "Anyway, now explain WHAT that beautiful bouquet is. Don't tell me you crafted it," she stared at Very's eyes, but instead of shaking his head, Very blushed and looked away.

"Hey, hey, bullying is restricted here," suddenly a woman's voice came from behind Alicia, that she turned her head around.

"Ah, Chef Isa!" she smiled and stood off the bench, "Good afternoon."

Isa giggled. She was a pretty young woman with pixie cut and bright eyes, who was wearing white long sleeves shirt and dark skirt that day. Even though she was a lecturer in sugarcraft department, Alicia respected Isa a lot because she admired Isa's technique in crafting fruits and marzipan that she saw in some sugarcraft classes she took.

"What are you doing with my sweet student, Alicia?" Isa frowned jokingly. Alicia giggled.

"N-no, Chef," Very stood up, "She didn't bully me, she was just asking about…this," he showed the candy bouquet to Isa timidly.

"A-ha," Isa smirked, "Don't be jealous, Al, he's not gonna cheat on you," she teased. Both Alicia and Very winced before they looked at each other and shrugged.

"Oops, I thought you're dating," Isa giggled again, "That bouquet was made in my class this morning as a quiz material and Very got the highest point for it," she winked before she waved and walked away.

Alicia blinked twice before she looked at Very, who looked away again.

"You made this bouquet?" she asked, "In a quiz? And got the highest point?"

"P-please," without answering her question, Very handed the box to Alicia, "Take this," he blushed again.

Alicia was dumbfounded. Not only because she knew that this junior student has crafted candy into a bouquet of roses, but also because that student gave her his creation.

Somehow her mind went into some days ago, when Very helped her with her cramp. She suddenly remembered that the hands that massage her wrist and sooth her from pain were the same hands that create the candy bouquet.

* * *

Tomorrow was the first day of mid semester test in St. Infinity Academy. Usually, the test would be held within two weeks for both theory and baking classes. In baking classes, the test material was determined but the students were free to improve their creations. Therefore, the twin spent their Sunday evening in the home kitchen. Since three hours ago, Uco was busy practicing chocolate tempering, that the sound of metal scraper and marble table echoed in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Alicia only sat in front of a table next to Uco, gazing at the candy bouquet that she received from Very.

"Hey," said Uco as he stopped tempering, "How long are you going to do that? It's not gonna wither, don't worry," he started tempering again. Alicia sighed and rested her chin with her folded arms on the table.

"He's just a freshman," she said, "How can he craft something so beautiful?" she asked both herself and Uco, although she knew it was not the real thing that crosses her mind.

She only wondered why she could not get bored gazing at that candy bouquet, as she felt ticklish inside when the candy scent reminded her of Very. She even felt her cheeks started to flush when she remembered when she hugged him in the kitchen after he massaged her wrist to ease the pain from cramp. She closed her eyes as she cursed herself.

_Gosh, how did I do that? So embarrassing. I hope he won't think bad about me._

"Well, he got talent, maybe?" said Uco as he poured the tempered chocolate to a bowl, "Or he only works harder than others, because he's a shy kid with a lot of me time?" he took a brass of puffs and dipped the top of each into the liquid chocolate. Tomorrow he would have a mid test for choux and éclair baking class, that he learned how to make shining chocolate glaze. Meanwhile, Alicia glanced at Uco's chocolate-topped choux for a moment before staring back at the candy rose bouquet again.

_Work harder. Rose. Glossy...glaze..._

"I knew it!" Alicia stopped daydreaming and stood off her chair before she opened a big cupboard for bottled ingredients in the kitchen. She found a small bottle with pink label that she was looking for.

"What?" asked Uco.

"I know what I'll bake for advanced flan baking test tomorrow," replied Alicia firmly before she prepared all panna cotta ingredients and baking tools.

She did not forget that she was failed baking panna cotta before, but this time she believed that she would bake it perfectly because she remembered exactly the words that guide her.

_ 'I need to whisk the cream smoothly, not too fast but not slow as well', right, Ver?_

* * *

BAM! BAM!

The sound of baseball bat hitting a sand sack was echoing in a small gymnastic. Very was panting after he stopped hitting the sand sack and wiped sweat on his forehead. The small gymnastic was built in the backyard of Bejo's house, where his assistants trained themselves with martial arts outside the dojos. It was still Sunday evening, a busy day for Le Ciel that needs Bejo and Andi helping in the store, which was the reason they were not in the house.

Again, Very wielded his baseball bat and hit the sand sack many times from many angles. Tomorrow he would only have basic marzipan theory and basic fruitcraft theory tests that he did not need to practice anything.

CLANG!

The baseball bat slipped of Very's hands before he almost hit the sack and fell on the floor with loud sound. But he did not take it, instead he only was panting and wiped his sweat again.

It could not be helped. He tried hard to distract himself with silat trainings, even using his weapon, but he could not get Alicia off his mind. He could not even forget how he came up with an idea of rose bouquet in Isa's class back then. The quiz material was 'gift for an adorable person', and he could only think of that hammer-wielding girl.

"What's going on, Ver?" suddenly Rama entered the room and took the falling baseball bat. He tilted his head to look at Very's face.

"Whoa, look how reddish your face is," he said, "Don't force yourself if you have a fever—," he reached for Very's shoulder but the younger man shoved him.

"Enough," Very said, "How long do we have to do this? I can't deceive her any more than this, not even her brother who trusts me like that!"

Even he was surprised to hear his own scream, but Very knew he could not pull those words back, not to mention it was what he meant to say. He started to feel tired of everything. He did not want to go undercover anymore, he only wanted to be with Alicia as who he really is.

_Wait, what?_ he silently asked himself.

"You know the answer," replied Rama, almost inaudibly.

Very was startled to see how hurt Rama looks, but it did not erase his dejection.

"Say something, Ram!" he yelled again, "Tell them that we want to stop, we can't do this anymore just for their own sake—,"

"It's for MY own sake, Ver!" Rama grabbed Very's collar with his right hand, "Because I don't want my, our chocolate shop, built in a remote place—,"

BWAK!

Failed of holding back his temperament, Very punched Rama's cheek. Soon, the shocked Rama wielded Very's baseball bat to hit the owner, but Very dodged it with his arm.

"What the hell, Ver?" asked Rama, "What's wrong with you?" he pulled the baseball bat again.

"Is your chocolate shop, which isn't even opened yet, more important than him?" asked Very.

"Him—who?" Rama furrowed his eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," replied Very, "Alicia said she's glad that you came, because you're the only person who can deal with Uco. I dare you to tell me she's wrong," he defied.

And it did not take too long for him to get the answer. He snatched his baseball bat from the speechless Rama and walked off the room.

* * *

The clock was ticking in the classroom of basic fruit crafting theory class, at the second floor of sugarcraft department building. Some students who have finished already collected their paper works and left the classroom. Very was not one of them, since he was still relaxed when writing his answers one by one. He collected his paper right when the time was over before he walked out the classroom and was shocked of what he sees.

"W-what?" he asked. Many sugarcraft department freshmen, his classmates, already gathered around him outside the classroom.

"Very," one of those students, a guy whose name Very did not remember, started talking, "We're sorry that all this time we seem to ignore you."

Very tilted his head. He did not understand what is going on, even though he admitted that his classmates sort of ignored him before today. Not that he held any grudge about it, since he was also wrong for being too awkward and shy to talk with them.

"Um…tomorrow is basic caramel crafting test," that guy continued, "Mind helping us practicing? I mean…you know, right? You're kind of…imbalance," he scratched his head timidly.

"Imbalance?" Very rephrased. He really did not get the idea of what his classmate talks about.

"Yeah," another classmate, now a girl, replied, "Don't tell me you don't even realize?"

"N-no," Very shook slowly, "A-actually…what do you want?" he asked again.

"We want you to teach us how to craft because your skill is beyond ours, Ver!" the girl giggled, "Oh, my, look how cute you are, being so innocent," she said, and the other students giggled too.

Very was stunned. He never realized that he had done any big things, even though he nearly always got the highest point in quizzes. He did not even think that it would bring his classmates to count on him, and he knew for sure that he could not let them down. Besides, he already planned to practice in campus kitchen after lunch, only not with any friends.

"O-okay," Very smiled timidly and nodded. The classmates cheered as they felt relieved.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting you all?"

Everyone turned their heads once they heard a girl's voice coming from behind the crowd, including Very. They could not be less surprised to see a beautiful sophomore student, the rector's daughter, standing there. She was bringing something like a pink pudding wrapped tidily in mica box.

"Alicia?" asked Very, who was not less surprised than his friends.

"Hey," she waved cheerfully, "Um, are you…," she looked around the crowd, "Busy?"

"Uh, yes—,"

"No, no, Senior!" the girl who talked to Very interrupted as she pushed Very to Alicia's side, "We'll have a study group and he'll be our tutor, but we'll do it after lunch, right, Guys?" she asked the others who nod right away.

"Yes, it's fine," said the boy who first talked to Very, "Please take your time. Guys, come on," he dismissed the crowd and everyone walked away, leaving Alicia and Very behind. They stared at those scattered students for a minute.

"They're nice," Alicia was amazed, "And you're gonna tutor them?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," Very scratched his head timidly, but suddenly he felt really cocky with his answer, "Uh, I mean, not really, because I'll practice too."

"…so adorable…," Alicia muttered, but Very did not hear her well.

"What?" he asked, but Alicia shook right away.

"Nothing," she replied awkwardly, "Can we talk? How 'bout lunch in café now?"

* * *

There was no sound in the kitchen, except the ticking clock. Very did not say a word since he entered that sugarcraft department kitchen at the second floor with Alicia. When Alicia asked him to talk in the café, he did not approve it and suggested the kitchen instead, where there would be nobody else.

He realized how much he wants to keep her for himself.

"Being in the kitchen is soothing, hum?" Alicia started talking. Very turned his head around and found her smile calmly as her eyes were wandering around the room.

"Y-yeah, I guess," replied Very nervously. He never thought about it before, even though he loves baking so much. Furthermore, he brought Alicia there not for such a reason.

"We're gonna miss lunch time like this, anyway," said Alicia, walking closer, "Here, I made this in the test," she handed the boxed pudding to Very.

"Eh?" Very was dumbfounded. He gazed at the pink pudding. It was a small and glossy one with pretty pastel color, and the butter cream red rose decoration made it more attractive.

"You can have this," said Alicia, "Don't worry, I didn't mess it up like before," she winked.

Very took the box and opened it right when he smelled the scent of rose. Right away, he could tell that it contains of rose water both in its dough and decoration, and somehow he was reminded of his own creation that he gave Alicia days ago.

"It's rose panna cotta," he was amazed, "So pretty. Can I really have this?"

"Sure thing," replied Alicia, "The spoon is in the same box."

Very took the spoon and sliced the panna cotta carefully. Alicia was not lying because she really did not mess up this time. The mousse looked smooth and solid, even Very could tell only by looking.

"It's…sweet," he started munching. The sweet scent of rose was matched perfectly with the sweet taste of lychee syrup. Suddenly he remembered about something he learned long ago about flowers and the language when he was helping in a small flower shop.

"…like…love…," he muttered. Alicia winced.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Very shook and smiled widely, "This is great, like how a panna cotta should be—"

But his mouth was shut when Alicia came closer and dropped a soft peck on his right cheek. As if time was stopped only in the kitchen, he did not move an inch, even just to continue munching. Meanwhile, Alicia took two steps back and bit her lower lip timidly.

"It's your fault for taking me to an empty place," she shrugged and looked away.

* * *

Uco was humming gently when he tempered the chocolate in choux and éclair baking test. He already finished the puff easily, although it took him a little time to make the vanilla filling cream. While his other classmates were still busy with the puff and the filling, he had a little lot of time to handle the chocolate glaze. Even he finished chopping the chocolate bar faster than ever.

"Oh, surprise, you're tempering," teased Andi, who was in charge of the test. He was walking around that bread department kitchen to check each student's work and whether they cheated or not, like secretly peeping to the recipe.

"Sure thing," replied Uco nonchalantly as he kept scratching his metal scraper on the liquid chocolate, "I've been baking choux all my life, I still have plenty of time for this," he glanced snobbishly at Andi.

All this time he was always pissed off of that lecturer, that he could not help himself to act arrogant before him even though deep inside he admired Andi's skill in handling chocolate.

"I wish attitude counts at scoring, so I can lower your grade, Uco," Andi snorted.

"Too bad, it doesn't," Uco chuckled and continued tempering, while Andi did not move from his place. He glanced for a second and caught Andi watching at his tempering activity closely.

"Your movement really is terrible and stiff," Andi chuckled, "But I must admit that tempering the chocolate glaze is like a breakthrough for bread department student," he walked away and watched another student's job.

* * *

Fifteen minutes had passed 12PM when Uco waved at Alicia, who is running to his side at chocolate department building. They arranged to go underground together because Bangun texted them when they were in class. Just like usually, they entered the chocolate department elevator and Uco pressed 2-1-3-1-5 buttons inside.

"What do you think is happening?" asked Alicia when the elevator went down.

"No idea," replied Uco, "Besides, we're not in charge of patrol during mid-test, huh?"

"Right," said Alicia, "Anyway, what's with you? You look cheerful."

"Well, you can say that this genius baker is stepping his stones into mastering chocolate," replied Uco with his most snobbish smirk, but Alicia only laughed hard.

"No way!" she mocked, "It was only yesterday that you can finally chop chocolate!" teased her. Uco snorted.

"Why can't you see me happy just for a moment?" he frowned, yet Alicia did not look sorry at all, instead she could not stop giggling until the elevator stopped and they entered the underground room.

But Uco could not mumble any longer, even Alicia stopped laughing, when they saw their father sat straight on his couch and so did Goto, looking really serious. Not only that, but Eka, Ryuuichi, and Keiichi were also summoned and they already sat on the couch.

"W-what's going on?" Alicia hurry sat down on an empty couch, followed by Uco.

"Kids," Bangun started talking, "It's been two days you're all off charge of patrol. I remembered the last time some of you patrolled, the baseball bat kid and his friend were still coming sometimes. But since the day you were all not in charge, they didn't appear."

Uco and Alicia looked at each other before they focused on their father again. He tried to recall some days when he or the other kids patrolled but none of those two opponents appeared, yet his father did not say a thing back then.

"This is not a good news," said Goto, "I never thought that this can be happening."

"What's going on, Dad?" asked Keiichi, looking worried.

"Yeah, just go straight to the point," added Ryuuichi.

"We have a strong presumption that they're students in this academy," said Bangun.

* * *

**I'm still looking for Rama and Uco shippers. Please contact me through the message immediately or leave your e-mail address in the comment tab.**

**THANK YOU FOR READING**


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